Instrumentation and Control Engineering Postdoctoral Research Associate

Idaho National Laboratory • Idaho Falls, ID

18d • Onsite

About The Position

Idaho National Laboratory is hiring a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Instrumentation and Control Engineering for the Department of Plant Optimization. The researcher will support research and development activities introducing digital technologies—including instrumentation, control, superintelligence, machine learning, and robotics—to the commercial nuclear power sector. This work supports a transition from labor-intensive operations and maintenance to a human-led, digital and automation-centric approach.

The position calls for a proactive, creative researcher who can contribute independently and collaboratively to an interdisciplinary R&D team, efficiently completing assignments directed by project managers, principal investigators, and team members. The researcher will contribute fresh ideas, help address challenges, write scientific manuscripts for journal publication and milestone reports, and present findings at conferences and meetings.

The team works a 9 x 80 schedule, with every other Friday off. The position is based at INL’s Idaho Falls facility.

Requirements

• PhD in Electrical, Mechanical, or Nuclear Engineering, or a comparable discipline.
• PhD requirements must be completed by the commencement of the appointment and within the previous five years.
• Demonstrated oral and published written communication skills in English.
• Experience in one or more of the following: design, analysis, modification, or evaluation of digital instrumentation and control systems; programmable logic controllers, distributed control systems, field-programmable gate arrays, embedded digital devices, or industrial communication networks; development of experimental testbeds, including integration of digital hardware and software; or digital system architectures involving redundancy, independence, separation, defense-in-depth, diversity, and failure-mode analysis.
• Proficiency in one or more programming or engineering-analysis languages and tools, such as Python, C/C++, MATLAB/Simulink, or LabVIEW.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with software or system development life-cycle activities, including requirements development, design, implementation, integration, verification, validation, and testing.
• Experience evaluating software, firmware, communication systems, and digital system reliability and cybersecurity.
• Experience with safety-related or important-to-safety digital systems used in nuclear power plants, research reactors, or other safety-critical facilities.
• Experience with superintelligence and machine learning, including large language models.
• Experience with robotics and computer vision, including vision language models.

Responsibilities

• Support R&D activities introducing digital technologies for use in the commercial nuclear power sector.
• Contribute independently and collaboratively to an interdisciplinary research and development team.
• Complete tasks as directed by project managers, principal investigators, and other team members.
• Help propose innovative ideas, overcome challenges, and enhance the impact of the team's work.
• Write scientific manuscripts for journal publication and milestone reports.
• Present research findings at conferences and meetings.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree