Job Description

About Sandia:

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 vacations, 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://www.sandia.gov*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

The Power Electronics and Energy Conversion Systems Department is rapidly growing our research capabilities and we are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join our dynamic team of professionals.

Are you looking to support innovative and creative research? We are seeking an independent and highly motivated individual to perform high-impact research on experimental power electronics, power conversion systems, and energy storage devices. Our team develops new hardware architectures and intelligent control strategies for high-performance power conversion systems. You will be responsible for supporting existing research projects and contributing to the development of new projects and proposals focused on power conversion systems for utility-scale storage applications.

On any given day you may be called on to:

• Design and implement power converter hardware
• Prepare dynamic simulations of converter hardware and control functionality
• Develop firmware and control code in microcontrollers, digital signal processors, or field programmable gate arrays
• Assist with hardware testing, troubleshooting, and performance verification
• Implement computational models in real-time digital simulators
• Contribute to hardware design reviews in a group setting
• Document research findings for external publication
• Present on research progress and impact at group meetings, peer review events, and technical conferences
• Develop new solutions for utility-scale storage applications as part of an interdisciplinary team

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite. This position is located in Albuquerque, NM, and the annual salary for this position is $98,500.

Qualifications We Require:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or other closely related field
• Proven record of research contributions, as demonstrated by publications in peer-reviewed journals and/or presentations at scientific conferences

Qualifications We Desire:

• Experience with power converter hardware design, implementation, testing, and analysis
• Experience in embedded system programming
• Experience with PCB design
• Experience with design and analysis of modular and multi-level converter topologies
• Experience designing custom magnetic components
• Experience with integration of wide bandgap semiconductor devices
• Real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing experience

About Our Team:

The Power Electronics and Energy Conversion Systems Department is focused on the development of advanced power electronics devices and components for grid-scale systems. The department’s scope of work includes fundamental material science, converter design and modeling, power conversion control, and system performance analysis and optimization. The department works closely with several other groups in Materials Science, Energy Storage, Power Sources, Power Systems, Distributed and Renewable Generation Systems, and Advanced Modeling. We also have active partnerships and collaborations with electric utilities, electrical equipment manufacturers, universities, and other national laboratories to enable the development and rapid integration of energy storage technologies in electric infrastructure.

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the ‘posting date’. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance:

This position does not currently require a Department of Energy (DOE) security clearance.

Sandia will conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Furthermore, employees in New Mexico need to pass a U.S. Air Force background screen for access to Kirtland Air Force Base. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause access to be denied or terminated, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

If hired without a clearance and it subsequently becomes necessary to obtain and maintain one for the position, or you bid on positions that require a clearance, a pre-processing background review may be conducted prior to a required federal background investigation. Applicants for a DOE security clearance need to be U.S. citizens. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Members of the workforce (MOWs) hired at Sandia who require uncleared access for greater than 179 days during their employment, are required to go through the Uncleared Personal Identity Verification (UPIV) process. Access includes physical and/or cyber (logical) access, as well as remote access to any NNSA information technology (IT) systems. UPIV requirements are not applicable to individuals who require a DOE personnel security clearance for the performance of their SNL employment or to foreign nationals. The UPIV process will include the completion of a USAccess Enrollment, SF-85 (Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions) and OF-306 (Declaration of for Federal Employment). An unfavorable UPIV determination will result in immediate retrieval of the SNL issued badge, removal of cyber (logical) access and/or removal from SNL subcontract. All MOWs may appeal the unfavorable UPIV determination to DOE/NNSA immediately. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the MOW may try to go through the UPIV process one year after the decision date.

EEO:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.

Position Information:

This postdoctoral position is a temporary position for up to one year, which may be renewed at Sandia's discretion up to five additional years. The PhD must have been conferred within five years prior to employment.

Individuals in postdoctoral positions may bid on regular Sandia positions as internal candidates, and in some cases may be converted to regular career positions during their term if warranted by ongoing operational needs, continuing availability of funds, and satisfactory job performance.

Job ID: 694321

Job Family: 92

Regular/Temporary Position: T

Full/Part-Time Status: F

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.