Postdoctoral Research Associate

Job Title

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Agency

Texas A&M University at Galveston

Department

Marine Engineering Technology

Proposed Minimum Salary

$5,000.00 monthly

Job Location

Galveston, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

A Glimpse of the Job

The Department of Marine Engineering Technology of Texas A&M University seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate for an immediate start to advance modeling, control, and optimization of power and energy systems with applications to maritime and coastal infrastructures (e.g., shipboard microgrids, port facilities, islanded communities, desalination plants). The associate will develop rigorous, scalable methods—spanning physics-based and data-driven models—for optimal power flow, demand response of flexible loads, transient/stability-aware dispatch, and cybersecurity-resilient control. The role includes leading publications, contributing to proposals, mentoring students, and collaborating with academic, utility, and industry partners.

Essential Duties/Tasks:

Research and Development

• Formulate and analyze models for transmission/distribution, microgrids, and shipboard power systems (steady-state and dynamic).

• Design optimization and control algorithms (convex/nonconvex, stochastic/robust, MPC) for real-time dispatch, frequency regulation, and DER coordination.

• Integrate data-driven and physics-informed approaches for state estimation, forecasting, and anomaly detection.

• Build simulation pipelines and, where applicable, hardware-in-the-loop or lab prototypes; manage datasets and reproducible code.

Academic Writing

• Lead and co-author journal and conference papers; present results at professional venues.

• Contribute to proposal writing and project reporting, coordinate with sponsors and collaborators.

Mentoring

• Mentor undergraduate/graduate researchers; support occasional instructional activities aligned with the lab’s mission.

What you need to know

Salary: $5,000 monthly/$60,000 annually

Special Instructions: A cover letter and resume are strongly recommended. You may upload these in the CV/Resume section.

Required Education and Experience

• Ph.D. in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, or a related field (by start date).

• Strong background in power systems analysis (OPF, state estimation) and numerical optimization/control.

• Proficiency with Python/MATLAB and power-system toolchains (e.g., MATPOWER/OpenDSS).

• Demonstrated research record (publications, open-source code, or equivalent).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with microgrids/shipboard power, demand response of flexible loads, and grid cyber-physical security.

• Expertise in data-driven modeling (ML for energy, forecasting, anomaly detection) and physics-informed learning.

• Real-time/HIL or embedded control experience (e.g., OPAL-RT, RTDS) and laboratory integration.

• Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Solid knowledge of power-system analytical methods (power flow, economic dispatch, state estimation);

• Proficiency in machine learning and Python programming;

• Strong scholarly writing skills with a demonstrated publication record and fluency in LaTeX compilers;

• Excellent verbal and written communication for collaboration, presentations, and mentoring.

Other Requirements and Factors

• This position is security sensitive.

• This position requires compliance with state and federal laws/codes and Texas A&M University System/TAMU policies, regulations, rules and procedures.

• All tasks and job responsibilities must be performed safely without injury to self or others in compliance with System and University safety requirements.

Who we are

We are the ocean campus of Texas A&M University at Galveston. Our employees come from throughout the world, wit