Postdoctoral Research Associate - Application-driven Composable Distributed Storage

Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Oak Ridge (TN); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Retirement plans

Flexible work hours

On-site amenities

Job summary

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s NCCS invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate focused on Application-driven Composable Distributed Storage. The role advances research in distributed data storage, I/O subsystems, HPC, scientific AI, and edge computing within the Technology Integration group of NCCS.

The candidate will explore architecture, service composition, and data placement strategies, collaborating with researchers to characterize performance and deploy scalable storage

Qualifications

• PhD in computer science/engineering with an education and a research track record in HPC/AI/edge systems and storage research within past five years.
• Ability to work independently to design and deploy methods at scale.
• Experience in HPC software development for applications, middleware, and/or system software.
• Effective communicator and collaborator with scientists, engineers, and sponsors.
• Applicants must complete degree requirements within five years; appointment up to 24 months.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with internal and external researchers on data and storage research projects for HPC, scientific AI, and edge computing.
• I/O and storage performance characterization of HPC and AI applications on multi‑tier storage systems.
• Design and evaluate methods for data processing at science edge systems using large-scale HPC/AI storage systems.
• Design and evaluate perpetual, configurable, and composable data storage systems.
• Evaluate cloud data storage solutions deployed on HPC systems.
• Co-author peer‑reviewed publications and technical reports.
• Seek memberships and service opportunities in professional and research organizations.

Skills

HPC software development

Independent work

Communication skills

Education

PhD in Computer Science/Engineering

Job description

Postdoctoral Research Associate - Application-driven Composable Distributed Storage

The National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking a postdoctoral research associate in the area of Application-driven Composable Distributed Storage. The candidate will be able to make research contributions in understanding and efficient use of distributed data storage and I/O subsystems for High-Performance Computing (HPC), scientific Artificial Intelligence (AI), and scientific edge computing.

We are a leader in computational and computer science, with signature strengths in high-performance computing and data analytics with applications in a large variety of science domains. NCCS is home to some of the fastest supercomputers and storage systems in the world. This position is in the Technology Integration group within NCCS.

Specific areas of research interest include:

• Flexible, composable storage service architectures that expose useful data container abstractions and interfaces for applications to convey their requirements for I/O performance and data atomicity, consistency, durability, and retention.
• Intelligent and automated selection and composition of data and storage service capabilities and interconnection topologies that simplify the use of diverse distributed storage resources through advanced methods for distributed data placement, layout, tiering, and movement.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with internal and external researchers on a variety of data and storage related research projects for use cases in HPC, scientific AI, and scientific edge computing.
• I/O and storage performance characterization of HPC and scientific AI applications or libraries on multi-tier HPC storage systems.
• Design and evaluation of approaches for time-sensitive or data-intensive processing of data originating at scientific edge systems using large-scale HPC/AI computational and storage systems.
• Design and evaluation of perpetual, user-configurable, and composable data and storage systems.
• Evaluation of cloud data storage and analysis solutions (e.g., key-value stores, object or document storage, graph analytics systems) deployed on HPC computational and storage systems.
• Co-authorship of peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and presentations.
• Seek membership and service opportunities in professional, academic, and research organizations.

Basic Qualifications:

• A PhD in computer science/engineering or relevant area with an education and a research track record in HPC/AI/edge systems and storage research within pastfive years.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to work independently to design and deploy methods at scale.
• Experience in HPC and associated software development for applications, middleware, and/or system software.
• Flexibility to adapt to diverse R&D projects and tasks.
• Effective communicator in both verbal and written forms.
• Ability to collaborate with scientists, engineers, and sponsors.

Applicants cannot have received their PhD more than five years prior to the date of application and must complete all degree requirements before starting their appointment. The appointment length will be up to 24 months with the potential for extension. Initial appointments and extensions are subject to performance and availability of funding.

Special Requirements:

• HSPD-12 PIV badge: This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain an HSPD-12 PIV badge.

About ORNL:

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an impressive 80-year legacy of addressing the nation’s most pressing challenges. Our team is made up of over 7,000 dedicated and innovative individuals! Our goal is to create an environment where a variety of perspectives and backgrounds are valued, ensuring ORNL is known as a top choice for employment. These principles are essential for supporting our broader mission to drive scientific breakthroughs and translate them into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges facing the nation.

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain individuals who demonstrate exceptional work behaviors. The laboratory provides a range of employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to support the well-being of you and your family. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also available for added convenience.

• Prescription Drug Plan
• Dental Plan
• Vision Plan
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Contributory Pension Plan
• Life Insurance
• Disability Benefits
• Generous Vacation and Holidays
• Parental Leave
• Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Accounts
• Wellness Programs
• Educational Assistance
• Relocation Assistance
• Employee Discounts

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.