Postdoctoral Research Associate - Application-driven Composable Distributed Storage

UT-Battelle; Oak Ridge (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plans

Flexible working hours

Job summary

UT-Battelle, operator of ORNL's NCCS, seeks a postdoctoral research associate to advance Application-driven Composable Distributed Storage. The role focuses on understanding and improving distributed data storage and I/O subsystems for HPC, scientific AI, and edge computing.

You will collaborate with internal and external researchers on storage performance characterization, design scalable data systems, and contribute to publications and reports.

Qualifications

• PhD in computer science/engineering with HPC/AI/edge storage research in past five years.
• Strong independence to design and deploy scalable methods.
• Experience with HPC software development for applications, middleware, or system software.
• Ability to collaborate with researchers and sponsors.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with internal and external researchers on data and storage research for HPC/AI/edge computing.
• IO and storage performance characterization of HPC/AI applications on multi-tier storage.
• Design and evaluation of scalable data storage systems for scientific workloads.
• Co-author publications, technical reports and presentations.
• Seek membership and service opportunities in professional organizations.

Skills

Independent work

HPC software development

Adaptability

Communication skills

Collaboration

Mentoring internships

Education

PhD in computer science or engineering

Tools

HPC software stack

Job description

Overview

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.

Requisition Id 16764

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 epoxy, 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 past five 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.
• Interest in mentoring student internships.

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.

Other benefits include the following:

• 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

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.