INFORMS Open Forum

Interested applicants should apply here

Please apply under vacancy name: Vacancy Name: IRC61888. Point of contact is Scott Backhaus (backhaus@lanl.gov)

What You Will Do

Come join the best and brightest minds in the world at one of the most innovative and creative multidisciplinary research institutions engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. The work we do at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) matters to our country and the world.

The Advanced Network Science Initiative (ANSI) is looking for outstanding postdoctoral researchers in the fields of chemical engineering and petroleum engineering. The research will focus on solving difficult modeling, engineering, optimization and control problems for the design, operations, simulation, and analysis of complex multiple pipeline systems, such as natural gas, water, and petroleum. The candidate is expected to work in an interdisciplinary environment with significant collaborative research. A successful candidate is expected to publish in peer reviewed journals, as well as present their research at conferences and workshops.

ANSI performs basic and applied research focused on modeling and understanding the nation's critical infrastructures, such as petroleum pipelines, potable water, electric power, and natural gas. Our expertise covers statistics, stochastic methods, machine learning, control theory, dynamical systems, discrete and continuous optimization, statistical physics, and graphical modeling. We ensure the scientific and technological validity of our approaches by working closely with physicists, engineers, mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, and economists through interdisciplinary collaboration. Our customers include DHS, DOE, DOD, and other national laboratories. Our work typically requires close collaborations within and outside the Laboratory.

This is a two-year position and we are expecting to hire 2 postdoctoral researchers to support the key project area of Multiple Pipeline Systems. This project is focused on developing new techniques to control and optimize the dynamics and transient behavior of natural gas, petroleum pipelines, and potable water systems. Areas of research include resilient design and control of pipeline systems, pipeline criticality assessment, and interdependent system analysis.

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:

• Proven publication record in one or more of the following areas: chemical engineering, petroleum engineering, or industrial engineering.
• Demonstrate ability to work effectively in a collaborative and multi-disciplinary scientific environment
• Demonstrate excellent oral and written skills
• At least one of the following
  • Programming experience with Java, C++, Python, MATLAB, or Julia and demonstrated software engineering skills
  • Experience working pipeline modeling and simulation software such as WinFlow, Synergi, or EPANet
• Desired Skills:
  • Experience in solving practical science and engineering problems, especially in the context of infrastructure networks
  • Experience in scientific computing and numerical methods for differential equations
  • Experience in mathematical programming and modeling

Education: A Ph.D. in petroleum, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, or a related field within the past 5 years is required.

Notes to Applicants: For further questions, please contact S. Backhaus at backhaus@lanl.gov. 

Additional Details:

Position does not require a security clearance. Selected candidates will be subject to drug testing and other pre-employment background checks.

New-Employment Drug Test: The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing.

Candidates may be considered for a Director's Postdoc Fellowship and outstanding candidates may be considered for the prestigious Richard P. Feynman, Darleane Christian Hoffman, J. Robert Oppenheimer, or Frederick Reines Distinguished Postdoc Fellowships.

For general information go to LANL Postdoc Program.

Equal Opportunity:

Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer and supports a diverse and inclusive workforce. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regards to race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or preference, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal laws and regulations. The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request such an accommodation, please send an email to applyhelp@lanl.gov or call 1-505-665-4444 option 1.


Where You Will Work

Located in the beautiful Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in science and engineering on behalf of national security. It prime location provides access to activities like hiking, mountain biking, skiing, rock climbing, and camping and a local public school system that is consistently ranked amongst the best in the nation every year. The Advanced Network Science Initiative (ANSI) is one of the focal points for the Laboratory's infrastructure optimization and control capabilities. ANSI is collaboration between the Laboratories' Analytics – Intelligence and Technology (A), Computer – Computational and Statistical Sciences (CCS), Theory –Theoretical Division (T) Divisions, and the Center for Nonlinear Studies (CNLS).

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Russell Bent
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos NM
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