Monte Carlo Codes Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Req. Number: IRC141215
- Organization : XCP-3/Monte Carlo Codes
- City, State: Los Alamos, New Mexico
What You Will Do
The Monte Carlo Codes Group (XCP-3, https://www.lanl.gov/engage/organizations/xcp/xcp-3) at Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking an early career postdoctoral researcher to join our world-class team! The successful applicant will gain experience in Monte Carlo particle transport methods and code development with one of the world's foremost Monte Carlo particle transport teams.
XCP-3 provides the Monte Carlo particle transport capability needed to accurately predict the interaction of radiation with matter. Our predictive capability is the world's foremost predictive tool for nuclear criticality safety simulations and plays a central role in many fields including nuclear energy, nuclear medicine, radiation detection, and radiation safety. The successful applicant will perform research and development to improve modeling and simulation capabilities in areas that support the national-security programs and mission of the Laboratory with one potential area being the development and implementation of correlated collision physics to increase the fidelity of particle-transport simulations.
XCP-3 develops the widely used Monte Carlo N-Particle® (MCNP®) code (https://mcnp.lanl.gov) and the Monte Carlo Application Toolkit (MCATK) and associated capabilities. Our work supports a variety of Laboratory missions, including stockpile stewardship, nonproliferation, threat reduction, and energy and environmental sciences. We deliver technology, methods, production quality codes, and training to sponsors, primarily U.S. federal agencies, through research, development, and maintenance of high-quality software and documentation.
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge of production scientific software development. Additionally, they will expand their computer programming knowledge and experience in modern software development for high-performance computing best practices using state-of-the-art tools. Finally, they will have the opportunity to broaden their professional network by presenting their research and resulting work at professional conferences and publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements:
Technical Knowledge
Candidates must have a strong background in Monte Carlo particle transport methods and/or other scientific software development as well as strong programming skills in Fortran and/or C++ as well as Python.
Communication
Candidates must have proficiency in technical communication including effective written and verbal skills with the ability to communicate with diverse audiences. This can be demonstrated and will be exercised through informal presentations and reports to teams, formal reports and presentations to colleagues and/or review committees, and interactions with professional audiences at meetings, conferences, and workshops. Candidates are expected to demonstrate ongoing progress and accomplishments through publishing research and development results in peer-reviewed proceedings and journals
Collaboration
Teamwork is essential to the success of our group. As such, candidates will need to have demonstrated the ability to function effectively in a team environment with a willingness to learn new skills and be flexible in work assignments. This includes exhibiting professional conduct in interactions with colleagues and co-workers.
Clearance
The candidate must have the ability to obtain a DOE Q Clearance, which typically requires US Citizenship.
Education/Experience
Ph.D. in nuclear engineering, physics, applied mathematics, computer science, or a related field completed within the past five years (or soon to be completed).
Desired Qualifications
Note to Applicants
Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.
Where You Will Work
Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:
§ PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
§ Dental and vision insurance
§ Free basic life and disability insurance
§ Paid childbirth and parental leave
§ Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
§ Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
§ Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
§ Onsite gyms and wellness programs
§ Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50 mile radius)
Additional Details
Directive 206.2 - Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.
Clearance: Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government, and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance. and obtaining such clearance requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon the position, additional authorization to access classified information may be required, which may or may not be available to dual citizens. Receipt of a Q clearance and additional access authorization ultimately is a decision of the Federal Government and not of Triad.
*Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 for additional information.
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. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.
Internal Applicants: Regular appointment employees who have served the required period of continuous service in their current position are eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the required period of continuous service, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. Please refer to Policy Policy P701 for applicant eligibility requirements.
Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, 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, state, and local 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 (505)-664-6947 opt. 3.
The Monte Carlo Codes Group (XCP-3, https://www.lanl.gov/engage/organizations/xcp/xcp-3) at Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking an early career postdoctoral researcher to join our world-class team! The successful applicant will gain experience in Monte Carlo particle transport methods and code development with one of the world's foremost Monte Carlo particle transport teams.
XCP-3 provides the Monte Carlo particle transport capability needed to accurately predict the interaction of radiation with matter. Our predictive capability is the world's foremost predictive tool for nuclear criticality safety simulations and plays a central role in many fields including nuclear energy, nuclear medicine, radiation detection, and radiation safety. The successful applicant will perform research and development to improve modeling and simulation capabilities in areas that support the national-security programs and mission of the Laboratory with one potential area being the development and implementation of correlated collision physics to increase the fidelity of particle-transport simulations.
XCP-3 develops the widely used Monte Carlo N-Particle® (MCNP®) code (https://mcnp.lanl.gov) and the Monte Carlo Application Toolkit (MCATK) and associated capabilities. Our work supports a variety of Laboratory missions, including stockpile stewardship, nonproliferation, threat reduction, and energy and environmental sciences. We deliver technology, methods, production quality codes, and training to sponsors, primarily U.S. federal agencies, through research, development, and maintenance of high-quality software and documentation.
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge of production scientific software development. Additionally, they will expand their computer programming knowledge and experience in modern software development for high-performance computing best practices using state-of-the-art tools. Finally, they will have the opportunity to broaden their professional network by presenting their research and resulting work at professional conferences and publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements:
Technical Knowledge
Candidates must have a strong background in Monte Carlo particle transport methods and/or other scientific software development as well as strong programming skills in Fortran and/or C++ as well as Python.
Communication
Candidates must have proficiency in technical communication including effective written and verbal skills with the ability to communicate with diverse audiences. This can be demonstrated and will be exercised through informal presentations and reports to teams, formal reports and presentations to colleagues and/or review committees, and interactions with professional audiences at meetings, conferences, and workshops. Candidates are expected to demonstrate ongoing progress and accomplishments through publishing research and development results in peer-reviewed proceedings and journals
Collaboration
Teamwork is essential to the success of our group. As such, candidates will need to have demonstrated the ability to function effectively in a team environment with a willingness to learn new skills and be flexible in work assignments. This includes exhibiting professional conduct in interactions with colleagues and co-workers.
Clearance
The candidate must have the ability to obtain a DOE Q Clearance, which typically requires US Citizenship.
Education/Experience
Ph.D. in nuclear engineering, physics, applied mathematics, computer science, or a related field completed within the past five years (or soon to be completed).
Desired Qualifications
- Ideal candidates will have experience with one or more of the following software tools/technologies:
- Parallelization frameworks such as OpenMP, OpenMPI, CUDA.
- Linux-based software development environments and infrastructure such as git, Gitlab (including continuous integration and delivery automation), and CMake.
- Document preparation and maintenance software such as BibTeX, LaTeX, and/or LyX.
- Other large-scale scientific software and modern HPC features such as parallel filesystems, HDF5 data files, and Slurm queue management.
- Familiarity with MCNP and/or MCATK and other particle transport codes (e.g., OpenMC, Shift, Serpent) and application areas.
- Knowledge of numerical methods, statistical analysis, and/or uncertainty quantification.
- Experience with scientific software verification and/or validation.
- Interest in scientific software design, testing, and performance optimization.
Note to Applicants
- Applicants should include the following in their application materials:
- A comprehensive curriculum vitae (CV),
- A cover letter describing research interests, career goals, and how they meet the required and desired qualifications, and
- Contact information for three references.
Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.
Where You Will Work
Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:
§ PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
§ Dental and vision insurance
§ Free basic life and disability insurance
§ Paid childbirth and parental leave
§ Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
§ Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
§ Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
§ Onsite gyms and wellness programs
§ Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50 mile radius)
Additional Details
Directive 206.2 - Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.
Clearance: Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government, and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance. and obtaining such clearance requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon the position, additional authorization to access classified information may be required, which may or may not be available to dual citizens. Receipt of a Q clearance and additional access authorization ultimately is a decision of the Federal Government and not of Triad.
*Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 for additional information.
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. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.
Internal Applicants: Regular appointment employees who have served the required period of continuous service in their current position are eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the required period of continuous service, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. Please refer to Policy Policy P701 for applicant eligibility requirements.
Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, 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, state, and local 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 (505)-664-6947 opt. 3.
