Senior Geospatial Researcher — Energy Deployment & Siting

National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Colorado; On-site; USD 100,000 - 181,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Pension benefits and 403(b) employer ͏

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO seeks a Senior Geospatial Researcher III/IV to advance geospatial modeling and decision-support for energy deployment. You will build scalable workflows, collaborate with industry and DOE partners, and lead innovative research across multiple scales.

The role emphasizes leadership, technical writing, and strong programming with Python and open-source geospatial tools, while contributing to publications and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent with 4+ years experience for Researcher IV; or Master’s with 7+ years; or Bachelor with 9+ years.
• Strong leadership and project management experience across research initiatives.
• Excellent technical writing and communication skills; ability to publish and present results.

Responsibilities

• Develop spatiotemporal methods for system performance, cost modeling, and site selection optimization.
• Ideate and evaluate novel research strategies for energy deployment insights.
• Integrate data sources, models, and software tools within HPC-enabled workflows.
• Communicate insights through publications and presentations; organize stakeholder workshops.
• Serve as principal investigator and technical lead on key projects.
• Mentor junior staff to grow skills and project portfolios.

Skills

Spatial statistics

Predictive modeling

Data analytics

Complex systems modeling

Scientific programming

Algorithm development

Python

Open-source geospatial tools

Technical writing

Communication skills

Project leadership

Budget & timelines management

Education

PhD in Engineering/Geography/Environmental Science/CS

Master’s in Engineering/Geography/Environmental Science/CS

Bachelor’s in Engineering/Geography/Environmental Science/CS

Tools

Python

Open-source geospatial tools

Job description

National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO seeks a Senior Geospatial Researcher III/IV to advance geospatial modeling and decision-support for energy deployment. You will build scalable workflows, collaborate with industry and DOE partners, and lead innovative research across multiple scales.

The role emphasizes leadership, technical writing, and strong programming with Python and open-source geospatial tools, while contributing to publications and stakeholder engagement.