What are the responsibilities and job description for the Postdoctoral Researcher - Communities and Urban Science Group position at National Renewable Energy Lab?
Posting Title
Postdoctoral Researcher – Communities and Urban Science Group
Location
CO - Golden
Position Type
Postdoc (Fixed Term)
Hours Per Week
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.
Join a team of world-class scientists, engineers, and visionaries dedicated to shaping the world’s energy future through cutting-edge research and innovation. From our vision to our NREL community, we are unique in the research community. We are focused on impact. From our work in basic sciences to systems engineering, analysis, demonstration, and deployment, we are focused on solving market-relevant problems that result in advanced, secure, reliable, and affordable energy systems. We are trusted clean energy leaders, developing cost-saving solutions that make U.S. industries more competitive, and support job creation and economic growth across rural and urban communities.
At NREL, we offer a unique, mission-driven work environment with cutting-edge facilities and multidisciplinary research teams. NREL's environment offers strong partnerships with industry, academia, and other national laboratories, as well as professional development opportunities and a competitive benefits package for employees.
Learn about NREL’s critical objectives : NREL's Mission and Vision () .
Job Description
NREL's Communities and Urban Science Research group has an immediate opening for a post-doctoral position focusing on energy modeling and analysis of new and existing buildings, and district thermal energy systems. The successful candidate will join team members on projects to analyze the performance of existing and emerging building HVAC systems, and advanced district thermal energy systems, incorporating water-source heat pumps and environmental heat sources and sinks.
The successful candidate should have a strong background and understanding of thermodynamics and heat and mass transfer, and applications of these principles to building and district HVAC systems.
Under the general direction of senior staff, the successful candidate will :
Apply existing energy modeling approaches to building and district applications
Develop new component energy models as appropriate, to assess the performance of building and district HVAC systems
Assess energy modeling results in the context of existing data and make recommendations on implementation strategies
Publish papers in conference proceedings and journals.
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
Ph.D. with strong academic and research record in relevant heat transfer, thermodynamics, or mass transfer field, with emphasis on modeling research applied to HVAC. Architectural engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, civil engineering, or relevant dissertation research in other engineering or science field.
Demonstrated experience in the following :
Heat and mass transfer and thermodynamic fundamentals
HVAC fundamentals
Building or district energy modeling
Experience programming in Matlab, Engineering Equation Solver (EES), EnergyPlus, Python, or similar tools
Strong interpersonal communication skills (oral and written) and demonstrated ability to work independently
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in modeling of district HVAC systems using Modelica
Experience in building energy modeling using EnergyPlus / OpenStudio
Experience in modeling existing buildings using meter data and information gathered from energy audits
Familiarity with emerging heat-pump based building and district HVAC systems, and ability to make specific and practical implementation recommendations
Familiarity with high-temperature (hot water or steam) building hydronic systems, and ability to make practical retrofit recommendations for compatibility with water-source heat pumps
Familiarity with common and emerging building load reduction measures, and ability to make recommendations on their suitable applications
Job Application Submission Window
The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.
Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)
Job Profile : Postdoctoral Researcher / Annual Salary Range : $74,900 - $123,600
NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.
Benefits Summary
Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short-term disability insurance
Badging Requirement
NREL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation.
Drug Free Workplace
NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.
If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.
Submission Guidelines
Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.
EEO Policy
NREL is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin / ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.
EEO is the Law () | Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination () | Reasonable Accommodations ()
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The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a leader in the U.S. Department of Energy’s effort to secure an environmentally and economically sustainable energy future. With locations in Golden and Boulder, Colorado, and a satellite office in Washington, D.C., NREL is the primary laboratory for research, development, and deployment of renewable energy technologies in the United States.
NREL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All candidates must be authorized to access the facility per DOE rules and guidance within a reasonable time frame for the specified position in order to be considered for an interview and for hiring. DOE rules for site access during the interview process depend on whether the candidate is interviewed on-site, off-site, or via telephone or videoconference. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation. Additionally, DOE contractor employees are prohibited from participating in certain Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs (FGTRPs). If a candidate is currently participating in an FGTRP, they will be required to disclose their participation after receiving an offer of employment and may be required to disengage from participation in the FGTRP prior to commencing employment. Any offer of employment is conditional on the ability to obtain work authorization and to be granted access to NREL by the Department of Energy (DOE).
Drug Free Workplace
NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.
If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.
Please review the information on our Hiring Process () website before you create an account and apply for a job. We also hope you will learn more about NREL () , visit our Careers site () , and continue to search for job opportunities () at the lab.
Salary : $74,900 - $123,600
