Post Bachelors RA - Human-Earth Systems & Science

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • College Park, MD

5h • Onsite

About The Position

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget. Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus. The Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate (EBSD) leads critical research in four areas: Atmospheric, Climate & Earth Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Molecular Sciences, and Global Change. Our vision is to develop a predictive understanding of biological and Earth systems in transition. We aim to understand energy and material flows within the integrated Earth system; to understand, predict, and control the response of biosystems to environmental and/or genomic changes; and to Model the Earth system from the subsurface to the atmosphere. The Global Change Division is home to the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI). JGCRI is a global leader in the interdisciplinary field of integrated assessment multi-sector analysis. Research at the institute is conducted to advance fundamental understanding of human and Earth systems and provide information related to global change, energy, and environment that is unbiased and decision-relevant but not policy prescriptive. The institute is a partnership between PNNL and the University of Maryland, supporting research, modeling, and integrated analysis at the interface of human, energy, and Earth systems.

Requirements

• Candidates must have received a Bachelor’s degree within the past 24 months or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.
• Written and oral communication skills, critical thinking skills, and the ability to work in a team environment are necessary.

Nice To Haves

• The successful candidate will have, or be expecting to receive before hire, a Bachelor’s degree in public policy, engineering, economics, operations research, management science, computer science, environmental science, or related fields.
• Background in energy simulation modeling, hydrologic modelling, or related quantitative research is highly desirable.
• Research experience in the field of energy and environment, understanding of engineering concepts related to energy systems, and programing experience (particularly in C++, R or Python) are a strong plus.
• International energy research experience and foreign language skills (specifically Mandarin, Ukrainian, and languages of Southeast Asia) would be a plus for some projects.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to cutting edge interdisciplinary research in close collaboration with senior researchers at JGCRI.
• Have opportunities to coauthor scientific journal articles.
• Contribute to analysis of energy and environmental policies, measures and pathways.
• Analysis using JGCRI’s open-source human-earth systems modeling framework, GCAM, which combines models of energy and the economy, land-use, agriculture, water, the environment, air-pollution, and ecosystems.
• Development of the CEDS historical emissions data system.
• Energy and other policy analysis.
• Using and developing computer models.
• Researching energy technologies and/or energy policies.
• Working with large datasets.
• Writing scripts in R and python.
• Working with stakeholders.
• Giving presentations.
• Writing reports and papers.
• Develop enhanced ASEAN region details in GCAM to provide information on technology needs, particularly due to expansion of energy demands.
• Provide analysis on critical materials supply and demand from this region to inform analysis of how regional developments would impact US critical materials security and industrial and investment opportunities in the ASEAN region.
• Develop and apply integrated modeling and data analytics to assess energy-water interdependencies, including creating high-quality datasets and using uncertainty-aware methods to evaluate risks and trade-offs, in close collaboration with power and water sector stakeholders.
• Deliver insights through data analytics, advanced visualizations, and interactive web-based dashboards to support resilient system planning and decision-making.

Benefits

• health insurance
• flexible work schedules
• medical insurance
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• robust telehealth care options
• several mental health benefits
• free wellness coaching
• health savings account
• flexible spending accounts
• basic life insurance
• disability insurance
• employee assistance program
• business travel insurance
• tuition assistance
• relocation
• backup childcare
• legal benefits
• supplemental parental bonding leave
• surrogacy and adoption assistance
• fertility support
• company-funded pension plan
• 401 (k) savings plan with company match
• 120 vacation hours per year
• ten paid holidays per year

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level