Post Masters RA - Computational Mechanical Engineer

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.

Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Integrated Discovery Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

The Energy and Environment Directorate delivers science and technology solutions for the nation’s biggest energy and environmental challenges. Our more than 1,700 staff support the Department of Energy (DOE), delivering on key DOE mission areas including: modernizing our nation’s power grid to maintain a reliable, affordable, secure, and resilient electricity delivery infrastructure; research, development, validation, and effective utilization of renewable energy and efficiency technologies that improve the affordability, reliability, resiliency, and security of the American energy system;

and resolving complex issues in nuclear science, energy, and environmental management.

The Nuclear Sciences Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, delivers science and technology innovations for the environment, energy, and national security. At a time when complex challenges are emerging on many fronts, we address some of the most challenging national and international nuclear issues. This includes providing technological solutions that protect the public health and safety around nuclear facilities, developing durable new materials for extreme nuclear environments, innovating new nuclear processes for the safety and security of the nation, and delivering new approaches for accelerating environmental cleanup of nuclear sites.

The division’s capabilities and efforts are focused on environmental management of nuclear sites, nuclear regulatory processes, national nuclear security, and advancing nuclear energy.

The Experimental and Computational Engineering Group explores and delivers engineered solutions based on expert analysis, experimentation, and computation. We are seeking a post-masters mechanical engineer research associate to join our group in support of complex nuclear challenges.

• Apply principles of engineering, physics, and materials science along with the use of numerical methods and computational modeling tools for fluid, thermal and mechanical problems relevant to energy systems and security.
• Support R&D activities and engineering evaluations related to nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear waste management.
• Participate in interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions for diverse industry and government clients.
• Build collaborations within the organization as well as external partnerships that increase lab capabilities.
• Publish key findings in peer-reviewed journals and present work at professional conferences.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must have received a Master’s degree within the past 24 months or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.
• Experience in the application of analytical calculations, computational methods, and/or commercial modeling tools for design and evaluation of fluid, thermal, and mechanical components/systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of fundamentals and familiarity with either computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes such as STAR-CCM+ or Fluent, or with implicit/explicit finite element analysis (FEA) codes such as ANSYS or LS-DYNA.
• Programming experience (e.g., Fortran, C++, APDL, MATLAB, Python, etc.).
• Excellent communication skills (presentational, spoken, listening, and…