Researcher III – Computational Fluid Dynamics

National Laboratory of the Rockies; Golden (CO); On-site; USD 83,600 - 150,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

PTO & holidays

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

National Laboratory of the Rockies is seeking a Researcher III in Computational Fluid Dynamics to advance CFD and multi-physics modeling for energy technologies. You will develop and apply high-fidelity simulations, contribute to cutting-edge tools, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to solve challenging problems in synthetic aviation fuels, hydrogen combustion, and high‑fidelity flow dynamics.

The role emphasizes publishing findings, mentoring junior staff, and strengthening

Qualifications

• Strong background in CFD and multi-physics modeling.
• Experience with high-fidelity modeling platforms and incompressible solvers.
• Proficiency in scientific programming and maintaining complex codebases.
• Excellent oral and written communication for scientific meetings and publications.
• Ability to work with sponsors and research partners across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Develop high-fidelity CFD cases for combustion and energy systems.
• Extend and maintain Kynema incompressible solvers and related tooling.
• Implement advanced numerical methods for complex geometries and bathymetry.
• Develop property prediction models using experimental data.
• Collaborate with internal/external partners to advance research objectives.
• Author and co-author high-impact scientific publications.

Skills

CFD

Multi-physics modeling

High‑fidelity modeling

Incompressible solvers

Scientific programming

Code development

Technical writing

Team collaboration

Education

PhD

Master's +3+ years

Bachelor's +5+ years

Tools

AMR-Wind

PeleLMeX

Job description

Posting Title

Researcher III – Computational Fluid Dynamics

Posting Title

Researcher III – Computational Fluid Dynamics

Location

CO - Golden

Position Type

Regular

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 Scalable Algorithms, Modeling, and Simulation group in the NLR Computational Science Center has an opening for a researcher to advance computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and multi-physics modeling for energy technologies. This position will support and further the capabilities of our advanced simulation tools to address critical challenges in synthetic aviation fuels, hydrogen combustion, and high-fidelity fluid dynamics. The successful candidate will play a key role in developing and applying cutting-edge computational methods, contributing to scientific publications, and fostering collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.

Duties Include

• Developing and applying high-fidelity simulation cases in tools like PeleLMeX for studying combustion in various burner geometries.
• Learning, maintaining, and enhancing the Kynema suite of incompressible solvers, including contributing new capabilities for complex applications like estuary flows, underwater turbines, and power lines.
• Implementing advanced numerical methods such as immersed boundary methods to model intricate geometries and bathymetry in flow simulations.
• Developing and refining property prediction models within computational frameworks such as FuelLib, utilizing experimental data to enhance accuracy and predictive capabilities.
• Maintaining and ensuring the functionality of critical codebases and managing shared repositories for knowledge transfer and collaborative development.
• Collaborating effectively with internal and external partners, including industry and university stakeholders, to advance research objectives and integrate new functionalities.
• Authoring and co-authoring high-impact scientific publications.

Basic Qualifications

Relevant PhD . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 3 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 5 or more years of experience . Demonstrates complete understanding and wide application of scientific technical procedures, principles, theories and concepts in the field. General knowledge of other related disciplines. Demonstrates leadership in one or more areas of team, task or project lead responsibilities. Demonstrated experience in management of projects. Very good technical writing, interpersonal and communication skills.

• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• A strong background in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and multi-physics modeling, demonstrated through significant project contributions and publications.
• Proven experience with high-fidelity modeling platforms and incompressible solvers, ideally including experience with codes such as AMR-Wind or PeleLMeX.
• Proficiency in scientific programming and code development, with a track record of maintaining and contributing to complex codebases and integrating new features effectively.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills for presenting research findings at scientific meetings and authoring peer-reviewed publications.
• Strong analytical skills and creative thinking abilities to solve complex problems in fluid dynamics, combustion, and energy systems.
• Ability to develop and maintain positive relationships internally within NLR and externally with sponsors and research partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience maintaining highly active code bases using versioning software (e.g., Git).
• Experience working on high-performance computing (HPC) systems and optimizing codes for various machine architectures.
• Ability to lead and influence across organizational boundaries, facilitating collaborations across multiple disciplines.
• Experience and interest in mentoring and contributing to talent development within the research group.
• Interest in expanding research domains to new areas.

Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)

Job Profile: Researcher III / Annual Salary Range: $83,600 - $150,500

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

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short*- and long-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; and tuition reimbursement*.

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. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition 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.

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Reasonable Accommodations

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