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*

We have two teams in our organization that are seeking a postdoctoral appointee to develop state-of-the-art methods for solving computational mechanics optimization problems in several areas. This includes inverse problems, Optimal Experimental Design (OED), and computational design with topology and shape optimization.

Depending on team and focus, on any given day, you may be called on to:

• Develop fundamental algorithm research on inverse methods, optimal design of experiments, shape and topology optimization oriented towards C++ implementation in a massively parallel computing environment
• Team across computational and experimental groups at Sandia to optimize design and testing workflows, fuse test data and simulations for parameter estimation, computational non-destructive evaluation, and design of experiments.
• Implement research ideas in a massively parallel C++ computing environment
• Integrate AI/ML strategies with optimization-based solutions for design and inverse problems.
• Work well with a team of people focused in this area of research
• Publish research in leading technical journals and present work at premier conferences and workshops

The selected applicant can be a remote worker located in any U.S. State or District of Columbia. Regular or periodic travel to your assigned work location may be required.

Postdoctoral Appointee Salary is $95,500.00/annual for NM Location.

• You have, or are pursuing, a PhD in engineering, mathematics, computational mechanics, or a related field
• Experience with fields of optimization
• Experience with scientific programming, including experience with C++
• Peer reviewed scientific publications and presentations
• Ability to acquire a DOE Q-level security clearance

• Strong experience with C++, including on high performance computing systems
• Experience with computational mechanics in solid mechanics, structural dynamics, thermal analysis, and/or electromagnetics
• Experience in AI/ML and related surrogate modeling techniques
• Excellent written and verbal interpersonal skills
• Experience in machine learning with an emphasis on optimization
• Experience implementing algorithms on heterogeneous computing architectures

Simulation Modeling Sciences department 1543 enables credible design and analysis involving computational simulation and finite element method approaches for meshing, topology optimization, inverse optimization, metamaterials, and high performance computing I/O. We are part of Sandia’s CompSim organization 1540, teaming with others developing Solid Mechanics, Structural Dynamics, Thermal Fluids, V&V, uncertainty quantification, workflow, analyst interfaces, as well as DevOps support. Users rely upon these codes for the Sandia’s Nuclear Deterrence mission, various other missions of the Laboratory, DoD, and industry partners. We team with other research programs at Sandia and sponsor research and development of critical modeling science applications within Sandia and at partner university programs. We help coordinate and engage the International Meshing Roundtable and Topology Optimization Roundtable.

Our software tools, including the following, are intended to be used on high performance next generation computing platforms.

• PLATO provides intelligent design to the Additive Manufacturing (AM) process. PLATO inverts traditional design approach by creating a computer-optimized structure rather than validating a conceptual CAD-CAM design, optimizing structures and materials over a wide range of parameters and environments.
• FuSED (Fusion of Simulation, Experiments, and Data) tools work at the nexus of experimental measurement, test, and design, enabling inverse reconstruction of unknown quantities such as sources and material properties, as well as optimal design of experiments. FuSED tools help to design experiments to gather data and infer information through the solution of inverse problems that is not directly observable, thus enabling designs that matches a desired system behavior.
• Next Generation Simulation (NGS), including the Cubit tool known for its hexahedral meshing, enables many types of Finite Element Method (FEM) discretization for computational simulation by providing meshing of CAD geometries, now including many advancements in tetrahedral meshing.
• Scaleable Geometric Modeler (SGM), a tool intended to create and explore geometries and also translate geometric representation between computer aided design and facets or finite elements. Our Geometry and Meshing team works at the nexus of engineering, mathematics, physics, numerical methods, and software engineering on many leading-edge NGS efforts.
• Our SEACAS tool, including Exodus and IOSS libraries, provides high-performance I/O for finite element applications. SEACAS encompasses both production support and HPC research through ECP and ATDM programs and is used at Sandia, several other National Laboratories, commercial companies, and universities.

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.

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. 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.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

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.

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.