Postdoctoral Researcher - Power Systems & Grid Security

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Montgomery (AL); On-site; USD 69,000 - 119,000; Full time

Job summary

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join the Energy Systems Engineering Group in Richland, WA, focusing on power systems operations, grid security, and emerging control challenges. The candidate will contribute to cross‑disciplinary research and push the state of the art through collaborations and publications.

The role emphasizes independent task execution, data analytics, and scripting, with opportunities to present findings at conferences and

Qualifications

• PhD in electrical engineering or related field.
• Proficiency in scripting languages like MATLAB, Python.
• Hands‑on experience with commercial power system control and telecommunications hardware.
• Experience in communications simulation software, such as ns-3.
• Strong technical writing and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop innovative, technically rigorous research approaches to address challenges in modern power system dynamics, emerging power electronics‑interfaced loads, generation/storage resources, and electrified transportation.
• Collaborate with researchers from diverse technical backgrounds to contribute to solutions for the grid of the future.
• Execute research tasks with appropriate guidance, demonstrating increasing independence over time, and manage small, well‑defined technical efforts as experience grows.
• Contribute to high‑quality technical products such as journal articles, conference papers, and technical reports, and present findings to internal and external audiences.
• Support the development of new research ideas and assist in preparing proposals that expand capabilities and advance program objectives.

Skills

Power systems

Python

MATLAB

Technical writing

Oral communication

Collaboration

Education

PhD in electrical engineering

Tools

Protection relays

MPLS

Fiber optics

Routers

Firewalls

ns-3

Job description

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join the Energy Systems Engineering Group in Richland, WA, focusing on power systems operations, grid security, and emerging control challenges. The candidate will contribute to cross‑disciplinary research and push the state of the art through collaborations and publications.

The role emphasizes independent task execution, data analytics, and scripting, with opportunities to present findings at conferences and