Postdoctoral Appointee - Experimental Thermal and Fluid Sciences, Onsite

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Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting‑edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide

Extraordinary co‑workers

Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world

Career advancement and enrichment opportunities

Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten‑hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part‑time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)

Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World‑changing technologies. Life‑changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..gov

* These benefits vary by job classification.

Sandia's Experimental Thermal and Fluid Sciences Department is seeking a Postdoctoral Appointee to conduct basic and applied research on thermal and fluid phenomena related to national security. Research topics include multiphase flow and droplet physics, thermal transport across a range of physical scales, material response in extreme thermal environments, and light‑matter interactions. This research may involve Sandia's plasma torch, multiphase shock tube, laser heat facilities, optical diagnostic laboratories, and wind tunnel facilities.

You will be mentored by staff engineers and will work closely with test engineers and technologists to conduct this research. A successful postdoctoral appointee will develop and test independent hypotheses within a focused topic area and synthesize results for publication in peer‑reviewed journals.

Develop experiments and apply diagnostic techniques to explore multiphase, chemically‑reacting, thermal, hypersonic, and other complex environments.

Develop data‑driven models from experimental results to answer scientific questions, and collaborate with engineers to compare experimental data with modern computational models.

Publish research in peer‑reviewed scientific journals.

Present research to team members and the broader scientific community.

Are you ready for your next challenge? Join our team and achieve your goals while advancing national security.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected candidate must be able to work onsite.

You have earned, or are pursuing, a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering field, and will have completed all Ph.D. requirements before starting at Sandia.

Excellent scientific writing and presentation skills, demonstrated through a record of peer‑reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE L security clearance. US Citizenship is required.

Experience with Bayesian data inference or other machine learning techniques applied to experimental data to construct or calibrate physical models.

Basic experience with thermal and fluid simulation tools to support experiment design and data comparison.

Experience working in thermal test environments (e.g., plasma torches, arc‑jets, thermal vacuum chambers, radiant heaters), multiphase fluid laboratory environments, or aero test environments (e.g., shock tubes, wind tunnels).

Experience applying nonintrusive optical diagnostics, including but not limited to digital in‑line holography (DIH), optical particle tracking, infrared thermography, thermoreflectance (FDTR/TDTR), optical emission spectroscopy (OES), laser Rayleigh scattering, laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS), and planar laser‑induced fluorescence (PLIF).

The Experimental Thermal and Fluid Sciences…