Posting Title
Postdoctoral Researcher - Physics-Based Engineering Modeling and Validation for Drone Swarm Applications

Location
CO - Boulder

Position Type
Postdoc (Fixed Term)

Hours Per Week
40

Job Description

The National Wind Technology Center at the NLR Flatiron's Campus is seeking a qualified candidate to help execute projects related to physics-based engineering modeling and validation for drone swarm applications. The researcher will adopt physics-based engineering tools previously developed for wind turbine and wind-farm tools applications (e.g., OpenFAST and FAST.Farm) to drone swarm applications, including individual drone aero-servo-elastics and drone-wake/downwash interaction. The engineer will identify and support improvements to the engineering tools through theory development and software implementation. They will systematically verify and validate (V&V) the tools through comparisons to fidelity-first modeling results (e.g., Kynema) and measurement data to quantitatively understand their applicability, accuracy, and limitations. They will also collaborate with other researchers focused on drone fidelity-first modeling, drone swarm control, and drone swarm applications. The researcher will be able to move fluidly between theory development, software implementation, model V&V, and applications.

The researcher will work with a wide variety of customers including the U.S. Department of Energy Integrated Energy Systems Office. They may also work collaboratively with other national laboratories, industry and academic partners, and the international community to execute projects. The researcher is expected to demonstrate a broad understanding and wide application of engineering principles, theories, and concepts as well as general knowledge of drone-related disciplines, applications and challenges. Candidates with aerospace or mechanical engineering backgrounds with some knowledge of wind engineering and/or drone applications are encouraged to apply.

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 will have excellent writing, interpersonal, and communication skills. The candidate will be expected to publish research results in technical journals/conference proceedings and present work at conferences, symposia, and review meetings. They may also be expected to support the development of new work proposals, preparations, and reviews.

In addition, the candidate is expected to have:
• Experience with physics-based drone modeling principles, including aerodynamics, structural dynamics, and/or controls.
• Experience with programming languages, including familiarity with (or the ability to quickly learn) Python and/or MATLAB, Fortran and/or C++, and high-performance computing environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with wind turbine modeling tools used, e.g., FAST/OpenFAST, Bladed, and/or HAWC2.
• Experience with wind-farm modeling tools, e.g., FLORIS, FAST.Farm, and/or DWM for wind farms.
• Comfort with standard software workflows on GitHub.
• Familiarity with uncertainty quantification and machine-learning principles.
• Knowledge of fidelity-first computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling.
• Experience with processing measurement data.

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: $76,600 - $126,400

NLR 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*; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; and paid holidays. NLR employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement.

* Based on eligibility rules

Badging Requirement
NLR 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.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NLR 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.