Posting Title

Postdoctoral Researcher – High-Temperature Thermochemistry

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Location

CO - Golden

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Position Type

Postdoc (Fixed Term)

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Hours Per Week

40

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Working at NREL

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our ten employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

Our planet needs us! Learn about NREL’s critical objectives, and see how NREL is focused on saving the planet.

Note: Research suggests that potential job seekers may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to apply. We seek dedicated people who believe they have the skills and ambition to succeed at NREL to apply for this role.

Job Description

The candidate will work with engineers and scientists within NREL’s Energy Conversion & Storage Systems Center and related expertise across NREL. This person will join a growing research team that includes expertise in concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies, thermochemistry, energy storage, heat recovery, industrial decarbonization, system modeling, technoeconomic analysis, and regulatory and market analysis.

The candidate will work on projects, designing, modeling, and analyzing the performance of various thermochemical reactor systems (CST-driven and others). Tasks include multiphysics heat and mass transfer modeling of thermochemical reactors, reduced-order modeling of thermochemical reactors and related components, and system performance modeling in support of economic analysis.

The candidate will likely utilize various NREL software tools such as SolarPILOT, SolTrace, SAM, as well as commercial CFD software such as ANSYS and/or COMSOL. In addition, some modeling will require coding in Python and/or MATLAB.

The candidate will work with senior staff to conceive and propose new research concepts and projects related to solar thermochemistry and other industrial decarbonization technologies, and to develop collaborative relationships, both internal and external.

The position requires documenting work for internal communication and external publication, e.g., writing and publishing results in peer-reviewed journals and presenting at national and international forums. The successful candidate will represent NREL's research and analysis at technical, business, and stakeholder events.

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Basic Qualifications

Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

The successful candidate must have demonstrated ability/experience in the following areas:

• Multiphysics modeling with heat/mass transfer and chemical reactions Chemical reactors design and engineering.
• Expertise in heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation.
• Experience in at least one commercial CFD/FEA software relevant to heat/mass transfer problems (e.g., ANSYS, COMSOL, OpenFOAM, etc.).
• Experience in either MATLAB or Python.

The candidate must demonstrate a capability to solve challenging research problems, and have excellent interpersonal, communication, writing and documentation skills. This position requires creativity, innovation, and adaptability. In addition to strong teamwork, candidates