Neutron Diagnosed Subcritical Experiment (NDSE) Scientist I/II
About The Position
The NDSE program seeks Scientist I and Scientist II candidates to work with the ESCE team in supporting installation, commissioning, and technical maturation of Scorpius, a linear induction accelerator. Scientists will advance the program’s high-power dense plasma focus (DPF) neutron-generating performance through experimental work, diagnostics development, modeling and simulation, data analysis, and collaboration with pulsed-power, target, controls, and operations teams in a high-consequence DOE environment. The position is part of a collaboration among the Nevada National Security Site and Los Alamos, Livermore, and Sandia National Laboratories. The work will help prepare the DPF for state-of-the-art experiments and address challenging problems to improve accelerator performance and understanding of the underlying physics. The primary work location is the Losee Road facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada, with frequent visits to the Nevada National Security Site. The schedule is four 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday, subject to change. A pre-placement physical examination, including a drug screen, is required. Candidates must hold a valid driver’s license and be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship and being at least 18 years old. The role is subject to background investigations and drug testing.
Requirements
- Scientist I: Bachelor’s degree in a calculus-based STEM field.
- Scientist I: skill-building experience demonstrating either deeper technical specialization or additional cross-disciplinary knowledge; graduate research experience may be recognized.
- Scientist II: Bachelor’s degree in a calculus-based STEM field and at least 2 years of relevant experience.
- Scientist II: skill-building experience demonstrating either deeper technical specialization or additional cross-disciplinary knowledge; graduate research experience may be recognized.
- Scientist II: demonstrated ability to design and analyze accelerator experiments and simulations with traceability to requirements.
- Scientist II: experience integrating models with experimental data and authoring technical reports.
- Valid driver’s license.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance; U.S. citizenship and age 18 or older are required for this clearance.
- Ability to meet DOE background investigation and drug-testing requirements.
Nice To Haves
- Coursework or project experience in at least one of accelerator physics, high-voltage or pulsed power, vacuum systems, radiation detection, plasma physics, or optical diagnostics.
- Proficiency in Python for data analysis.
- Strong laboratory skills, including following procedures and writing clear test notes.
- Hands-on experience with optical plasma diagnostics and/or vacuum hardware.
- Safety awareness for high-voltage and radiological work.
- For Scientist II: experience leading a small test campaign or subsystem from planning through execution and reporting.
- For Scientist II: experience with one or more of LSP, CHICAGO, FLAG, COMSOL, MNCP, or Geant4.
- For Scientist II: basic LabVIEW data acquisition and vacuum alignment practices.
Responsibilities
- Design, execute, and analyze dense plasma focus experiments.
- Develop, commission, and operate DPF diagnostics.
- Build, validate, and apply physics models and multiphysics simulations; compare results with experimental data and iterate designs.
- Apply targeted machine learning to accelerate tuning, improve diagnostic insights, support experiment planning, and develop data workflows that may integrate with controls; validate models against measurements.
- Author test plans, procedures, and technical reports, and present results to program leadership and external partners.
- Work safely with high voltage, radiation, and vacuum or pressure systems; follow Work Planning & Control and configuration management requirements.
- Collaborate with controls, including timing and EPICS, solid-state pulsed power, alignments, targets, and operations teams.
- For Scientist I: execute scoped tasks under mentorship, take ownership of a subsystem or test, define procurement specifications, initiate purchase requests, follow technical procedures, compile and summarize scientific data, and assist with data cleaning, baseline models, and simple optimization trials.
- For Scientist I: participate in pre-job briefings, wear required PPE, exercise stop-work authority, and promptly report near-misses.
- For Scientist II: own experimental or modeling work packages, mentor junior staff, and contribute to hazard analysis and test readiness reviews.
- For Scientist II: research, compile, and analyze scientific data; participate in developing field programs; and prepare designs, strategies, reports, and proposals.
- For Scientist II: own a focused machine-learning use case with clear success metrics.
- For Scientist II: lead pre-job briefs for small tests, author or update Job Hazard Analyses, verify LOTO and controls, and capture lessons learned.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Pension and 401(k).
- Paid time off and 96 hours of paid holidays.
- Relocation assistance for employees located more than 75 miles from the work location.
- Tuition assistance and reimbursement.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
