Job Description

Bidder Eligibility:

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.

Employees must remain in their current position for one year before applying for a new position, with the exception of student interns. Application of this requirement will not supersede collective bargaining agreements. See collective bargaining labor agreements for represented bidder eligibility requirements for represented employees.

About Sandia:

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*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to probe entropy effects in metal alloys for hydrogen generation and storage. The selected applicant will focus on design, synthesis and characterization of novel high-entropy alloys for hydrogen storage and metallic glasses as electrocatalysts for hydrogen conversion reactions. Synthesis and characterization of new materials will be required. A special emphasis will be on structural refinements using X-ray crystallography, neutron diffraction, and pair distribution function analysis. This work will lead to the potential for publications in chemistry/materials journals as well as applications in projects with national security missions. These efforts aim for the rational design of hydrogen-rich materials by changing the chemical composition in crystalline or amorphous configurations. The focus is on understanding processes governing hydrogen interactions with materials, effects of defects, as well mass and thermal transport phenomena. The research is performed in a diverse, multidisciplinary teaming environment that includes close collaboration with computational modeling, systems engineering, and machine learning/data science to accelerate materials discovery. These research activities have high visibility both nationally and internationally, thus successful candidates require strong presentation and writing skills.

On any given day, you will:

• Design and conduct custom laboratory experiments to understand process/structure/property/performance relationships
• Collaborate with a diverse team of fellow experimentalists, as well as engineers, theoreticians, machine learning experts, and others
• Share research findings with the wider scientific community in conferences and peer-reviewed publications

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Qualifications We Require:

• A recent doctorate in chemistry, metallurgy, materials science, or related field with a strong emphasis on synthesis of new materials and alloys and their structural characterization
• A record of scientific research accomplishment, as demonstrated by authorship of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals that appear on your CV
• Direct, hands-on experience with synthesis (e.g. alloy development via arc melting or casting and/or air-sensitive chemistry using Schlenk line and glove-box techniques) documented on your resume
• Similarly documented experience with characterization techniques (e.g. spectroscopy, diffraction, electron microscopy)

Qualifications We Desire:

• Familiarity with high-throughput synthesis and/or characterization techniques
• Experience with user facilities and/or advanced characterization techniques, such as neutron methods, X-ray techniques, small-angle X-ray scattering, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and mass-spectroscopy
• Experience with materials-based hydrogen storage and/or electrocatalysis
• Ability to obtain/maintain a DOE Q clearance in the future to benefit a broader set of projects in the future

About Our Team:

The Energy Nanomaterials Department is a research organization specializing in the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials for energy and national security applications. Projects and capabilities in the department's research portfolio include maturation of additively-manufactured metallic alloys; the formulation, synthesis, and characterization of materials for energy and hydrogen storage; and nanoscale materials characterization including extensive electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.

Posting Duration:

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.

Security Clearance:

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.

EEO:

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.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

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.

Job ID: 694654

Job Family: 92

Regular/Temporary Position: T

Full/Part-Time Status: F

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.