Postdoctoral Appointee - Power Electronics and Energy Storage, Onsite

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

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We are seeking an independent and highly motivated Postdoctoral Appointee to perform high-impact research on experimental power electronics and energy storage devices within the Power Electronics and Energy Conversion Systems Department. 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 energy storage applications.

On any given day you may be called on to:

• Integrate experimental power converter hardware and custom battery modules.
• Develop firmware and control code in microcontrollers, digital signal processors, or field programmable gate arrays.
• Assist with hardware testing, troubleshooting, and performance verification.
• Document research findings for external publication.
• Present on research progress 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.

• PhD in Electrical Engineering or other relevant field.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, as evidenced by publication(s) in peer-reviewed journals and/or presentation(s) at scientific conferences.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.

• Proficiency in power converter hardware design, implementation, testing, and analysis.
• Proficiency in PCB design.
• Experience with embedded system programming.
• Experience with battery cycling and battery management system operation.
• Experience with data analysis software such as MATLAB or Python.
• Experience with LabVIEW.

The Power Electronics and Energy Conversion Systems Department is focused on the development and integration of power conversion devices and systems into our future electric grid. The department has numerous projects with the Energy Storage Technology and Systems Department, which focuses on the development of advanced energy storage technologies, safety and reliability of energy storage systems, and the development of methods and tools to evaluate the performance of storage systems.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) 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.

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.