Postdoctoral Researcher – Transportation Digital Twins and High-Performance Simulation

NREL; Golden (CO); On-site; USD 77,000 - 126,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Pension benefits

403(b) Savings Plan with employer

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Job summary

NLR invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher in Transportation Digital Twins and High-Performance Simulation. The role focuses on developing traffic digital twins, large-scale simulations, and scalable HPC workflows to study connected and automated vehicle operations and their mobility impacts.

The candidate will conduct independent research, collaborate with NLR scientists and external partners, and contribute to publications and reports while advancing energy and transportation

Qualifications

• Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.
• Ph.D. in a relevant engineering, computing, or mathematical discipline.

Responsibilities

• Develop, calibrate, and validate traffic digital twin and co-simulation models.
• Design and evaluate vehicle and traffic signal control strategies using optimization or machine learning.
• Build and optimize scalable HPC workflows for large-scale simulation and scenario studies.
• Integrate traffic, vehicle, communication, and energy models into reproducible research tools.
• Analyze results and communicate findings through publications, reports, and presentations.

Skills

Independent research

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Communicating results

Education

PhD in engineering/computing/math

Tools

Python

C/C++

MATLAB

Job description

Job Title

Postdoctoral Researcher – Transportation Digital Twins and High-Performance Simulation

Location & Working Info

Location CO - Golden . Position Type Postdoc (Fixed Term) . Hours Per Week 40 . Working at NLR

NLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development. Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth. At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.

Job Description

The Advanced Computing Solutions Group in the Computational Science Center at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) has an opening for a postdoctoral researcher in transportation digital twins, large-scale simulation, and high-performance computing (HPC). The researcher will develop and validate traffic and vehicle simulation models and build scalable computing workflows to study connected and automated vehicle (CAV) operations, traffic control, and their mobility, safety, and energy impacts. The successful candidate will conduct independent research and collaborate with NLR scientists and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Develop, calibrate, and validate traffic digital twin and co-simulation models.
• Design and evaluate vehicle and traffic signal control strategies using optimization or machine learning.
• Build and optimize scalable HPC workflows for large-scale simulation and scenario studies.
• Integrate traffic, vehicle, communication, and energy models into reproducible research tools.
• Analyze results and communicate findings through publications, reports, and presentations.

Basic Qualifications

• Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.
• * Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a relevant engineering, computing, or mathematical discipline (subject to NLR postdoctoral eligibility requirements).
• Research experience in transportation modeling, large-scale simulation, or scientific computing.
• Proficiency in Python, C/C++, or MATLAB for modeling and data analysis.
• Ability to conduct independent research and collaborate in interdisciplinary teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with traffic or vehicle simulation tools (e.g., SUMO, CARLA).
• Experience with parallel computing (e.g., MPI, CUDA) and HPC clusters.
• Background in CAV control, traffic signal operations, or traffic flow theory.
• Familiarity with V2X communication, transportation energy models, or co-simulation.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications and collaborative software practices.

Annual Salary Range

Job Profile: Postdoctoral Researcher / Annual Salary Range: $76,600 - $126,400. NLR takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary

• medical, dental, and vision insurance
• short-term disability insurance*
• pension benefits*
• 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*
• life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
• personal time off (PTO) and sick leave
• paid holidays
• NLR employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component.
• Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement.
• * Based on eligibility rules

Badging Requirement NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation.

Drug Free Workplace

NLR is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug. If you are offered employment at NLR, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Reasonable Accommodations

E-Verify www.dhs.gov/E-Verify For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish. E-Verify is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This business uses E-Verify in its hiring practices to achieve a lawful workforce.

DOE Access and Locations

The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for critical minerals, energy innovation, and energy security. With locations in Golden and Boulder, Colorado, Fairbanks, Alaska, and a satellite office in Washington, D.C., NLR bridges foundational research with practical applications to develop and bring to scale new energy materials and technologies that lower energy costs, drive economic growth, and deliver abundant and reliable energy. NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All candidates must be authorized to access the facility per DOE rules and guidance within a reasonable time frame for the specified position in order to be considered for an interview and for hiring. DOE rules for site access during the interview process depend on whether the candidate is interviewed on-site, off-site, or via telephone or videoconference. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation. Additionally, DOE contractor employees are prohibited from participating in certain Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs (FGTRPs). If a candidate is currently participating in an FGTRP, they will be required to disclose their participation after receiving an offer of employment and may be required to disengage from participation in the FGTRP prior to commencing employment. Any offer of employment is conditional on the ability to obtain work authorization and to be granted access to NLR by the Department of Energy (DOE).

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