Postdoctoral Research Associate -RF Scientist/Engineer

Oak Ridge National Laboratory - Oak Ridge, TN

Full-time - Entry Level

Oak Ridge, TN

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Postdoctoral Research Associate position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory focuses on advancing plasma heating and current drive technologies, specifically in the realm of radio frequency (RF) technology development. This role supports various projects under the U.S. DOE Office of Science Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) Program, including significant initiatives like U.S. ITER and the Material Plasma Exposure experiment (MPEX). The position is situated within the Fusion Technology Group and involves both research and engineering responsibilities in complex RF systems and environments.

Responsibilities

• Engage and lead complex research and engineering projects involving high power sources, RF hardware and components, and plasma heating in fusion and related regimes.
• Analyze complex RF systems involving RF sources, plasmas, and their interactions in extreme environments including vacuum, magnetic field, and temperature.
• Determine research needs across fusion technology with an emphasis on RF environments and prepare work proposals, cost and schedule estimates, and risk assessments as required for delivery of custom solutions.
• Communicate results of analyses and experiments through presentations, reports, conference papers, and peer-reviewed journals.
• Collaborate with industrial, university, and/or laboratory partners on multi-disciplinary projects and teams.
• Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by fostering a respectful workplace. Align behaviors, priorities, and interactions with ORNL's core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service.

Requirements

• A PhD degree in physics or electrical engineering (or related field) completed within the past five years.

Nice-to-haves

• Familiarity with RF environments with respect to plasma physics, sources and components, and plasma material interactions.
• Experience with scientific analysis software such as Python, MATLAB, or comparable equivalent.
• Experience with multi-physics simulation (e.g. COMSOL Multiphysics).
• Experience in experimental plasma physics or diagnostics preferred.
• Experience with plasma and/or neutral transport models and modeling codes.
• Experience with designing, building, and operating RF plasmas with integrated diagnostics and measurement systems for fusion plasma devices or comparable frequency regimes.
• Demonstrated ability to work individually and/or as part of a team, including participation at remote facilities, and contribute based on knowledge and experience.
• Experience with radio frequency equipment and components with frequencies from 1 MHz to 100 GHz and power levels approaching 500 kW.
• Familiarity with fusion relevant electron heating and ion cyclotron heating sources.