Postdoctoral Appointee - Thin Film Mechanics and Tribology

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.

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Any concerns about the ability to meet this requirement should be directed to HR Solutions at (505) 284-4700.

We are seeking a passionate and motivated postdoctoral appointee to conduct innovative research on high-throughput characterization and testing of materials! You will join a vibrant team of researchers focused on developing creative, advanced materials characterization solutions through inter-disciplinary research that couples materials science, high-throughput materials testing and characterization, and data science. Through interactive collaboration with other research groups at Sandia, you will support a wide variety of research opportunities and mission related projects related to artificial intelligence guided manufacturing of advanced materials.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

The mission of the Materials Mechanics and Tribology department is to develop fundamental understanding of mechanical behavior of materials and to operationalize this understanding to resolve the engineering challenges facing Sandia's national security missions. The department has solved materials problems in Nuclear Deterrence (ND) applications ranging from routine material compatibility concerns to manufacturing scale issues. In addition to ND, the department also has a strong record of applying its resources to develop solutions for many unique challenges including; hardening drill bits, lubricating satellite mechanisms, coating hypersonic rails, and even measuring the elasticity of eye corneas.

To address these and other unique challenges, the department is also heavily active in developing novel and emerging processing and characterization techniques. Current activities include the development of high-throughput and in-situ methods for mechanically testing additively-manufactured (AM) metals and tribological coatings, highly customized tribological testing, digital image correlation, failure and deformation under complex loading, stress mapping using photo-luminescence and Raman spectroscopy, tribology of nanocrystalline materials, ductile and brittle fracture mechanisms, and 3D characterization of microstructure and components with destructive serial sectioning and x-ray computed tomography. The department members collaborate heavily across organizations within Sandia in New Mexico and California and manage several multi-million-dollar programs which currently include the Brittle Material Assurance Prediction Program (BritMAPP) and Materials Margins Assurance (MMA). As a testament to their effectiveness, in 2015 and 2016, staff within the department were awarded a national Asian Engineer of the Year Award, a national Black Engineer of the Year Award, a Hispanic National Achievement Award, and a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The department's technologists, postdocs, and staff have also been awarded several patents and intellectual property provisions.

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:

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 L-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 the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

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.

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.

Job ID: 682371