Multi-Physics Simulations Postdoctoral Researcher

What You Will Do

The Fury and HOSS model development teams at Los Alamos National Laboratory seek an agile postdoctoral researcher to support next-generation high-velocity physics model and simulation development for national security applications.

You will lead model and simulation development across a range of high-velocity physics problems, grounded in laboratory measurements and experimental data.

Working alongside experimentalists and modelers, you will connect laboratory measurements to HOSS shock physics modeling and to Fury simulations of complex, mission-relevant environments.

Fury is a C++/Kokkos, GPU-based compressible fluid dynamics model for large-scale, high-fidelity simulation. HOSS is a hybrid multi-physics capability that integrates computational fluid dynamics with finite element and discrete element methods in a parallel framework for complex engineering and scientific problems.

You will join a collaborative team spanning experiments, computational physics, and national security applications, and interact directly with relevant university research partners in a complex, fast-moving research environment.

Our work connects laboratory measurements, high-fidelity modeling, and large-scale simulation to tackle national defense challenges.

You will have a strong background in science, engineering, applied mathematics, computer science, or a related STEM field, and a strong interest in experiment-informed model and simulation development.

The role centers on developing and validating physics-based models and simulations, analyzing measurements and simulation outputs, and using experimental data to improve computational model development. You will work both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team of experimentalists and modelers, publishing in peer-reviewed journals and presenting at national and international conferences.

• Demonstrated strength in scientific computing, computational physics, numerical methods, or model development.
• Strong programming experience in C/C++ or a related language, with interest in developing production scientific software.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent and collaborative research.
• Strong written and oral communication, supported by peer-reviewed publications and presentations.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively in diverse, multidisciplinary teams, including communicating across disciplines, integrating different perspectives, and contributing to shared project outcomes.

Education/

Experience:

A Ph.D. in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Atmospheric or Earth System Science, Materials Science, or a related STEM field.

Candidates must have completed all Ph.D. requirements within the last five years or complete them by the start of the appointment.

• Compressible fluid dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, or shock physics.
• Modeling fracture, fragmentation, and large deformation processes.
• GPU computing, Kokkos, parallel programming, or performance-portable scientific software.
• C/C++ model development for large-scale simulation.
• Multi-physics simulation frameworks coupling fluid, solid, or particle methods.
• Validation of high-fidelity physics models against experiments.
• Experimental diagnostics, measurement analysis, or laboratory data interpretation.
• Large language model coding harnesses for scientific software development.
• Running large-scale models on high-performance computing resources.
• National security applications involving complex physical environments.
• Ability to obtain Q level clearance, which usually requires U.S. citizenship.

Work Location:

The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.

Appointment:
This is a two-year postdoctoral appointment.

Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.

• PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
• Dental and vision insurance
• Free basic life and disability insurance
• Paid childbirth and parental leave
• Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
• Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
• Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
• Onsite gyms and wellness programs
• Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50 mile radius)

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