Post Doctorate Research Associate - Maritime Data Analyst

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, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational 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 Coastal Sciences Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, is headquartered at PNNL-Sequim, on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. Our unique facility is the Department of Energy’s only marine research laboratory, and the capabilities of its researchers deliver science and technology critical to the nation’s energy, environmental, and security future.

We focus on research related to marine and coastal resources, environmental chemistry, water resources modeling, marine engineering, environmental modeling and monitoring, and national security—the division is an emerging leader in three areas:

• Enabling sustainable development of ocean energy
• Understanding and mitigating long-term impacts of human activities, including climate change, on marine resources
• Protecting coastal environments from security threats.

Located in Seattle, the position will primarily support data collection, analysis, and results communication related to evaluating the benefits of emerging maritime and port-related energy technologies, as well as supporting community-engaged energy innovation through the ETIPP program. This will include evaluating energy efficiency of traditional and hybrid electric vessels and may also include analysis related to cargo handling equipment, heavy‑duty trucks, and rail.

The selected candidate will have the opportunity to advance their skills in developing approaches and tools to understand and evaluate the growing portfolio of maritime energy technologies, interfacing with a diverse set of lab staff and external stakeholders likely to include port agencies, vessel owner/operators, and community‑based organizations.

• Support design and integration of data collection systems on assets such as vessels, vehicles, and equipment.
• Set up and manage data infrastructure, including pipelines to access, store, manage, validate, and clean raw data.
• Develop workflows, database structures, and documentation to ensure reliability and traceability.
• Conduct data analysis to support research questions related to, for example:
  • Energy consumption, power demand, and fuel‑use efficiency across trips and operating modes
  • Alternative powertrain feasibility (battery‑electric, hybrid, etc.)
  • Equipment and vessel duty‑cycle characterization
  • Identifying anomalous or inefficient operating behaviors
  • Environmental or acoustic impacts
• Produce written summaries, including methodology, results, and interpretation for inclusion in materials such as scientific publications, sponsor…