Postdoctoral Research Associate - HPC System Architecture and Intelligent Storage Design

Oak Ridge National Laboratory • Oak Ridge, TN

49d

About The Position

The National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking a postdoctoral research associate in High-Performance Computing (HPC) system architecture and intelligent storage design. The candidate will contribute to research and development efforts in scalable storage and memory architectures, telemetry-driven system optimization, and application-driven performance analysis for HPC, scientific Artificial Intelligence (AI), and scientific edge computing. We are a leader in computational and computer science, with signature strengths in high-performance computing, system architecture, and data analytics with applications in a large variety of science domains. NCCS is home to some of the fastest supercomputers and storage systems in the world. This position is in the Technology Integration group within NCCS. Specific areas of research interest include: Telemetry collection and analysis to inform system optimization, workload characterization, and predictive fault tolerance in HPC systems. Architectural exploration and performance modeling of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and DDR memory systems in the context of data-intensive scientific computing. Redesign of storage systems to meet evolving demands in AI/ML and edge-to-HPC workflows, including support for data movement, retention policies, and user-defined storage behaviors.

Requirements

• A PhD in computer science/engineering or relevant area with an education and a research track record in HPC/AI/edge systems and storage research within past five years.
• Ability to work independently to design and deploy methods at scale.
• Familiarity with hardware-software co-design, memory hierarchies (DDR, HBM), and system-level telemetry tools.
• Experience in HPC and associated software development for applications, middleware, and/or system software.
• Flexibility to adapt to diverse R&D projects and tasks.
• Effective communicator in both verbal and written forms.
• Ability to collaborate with scientists, engineers, and sponsors.
• Interest in mentoring student internships.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with internal and external researchers on a variety of data and storage-related research projects for use cases in HPC, scientific AI, and scientific edge computing.
• Conduct I/O and storage performance characterization of HPC and scientific AI applications or libraries on multi-tier HPC storage systems.
• Collect, analyze, and leverage telemetry data from HPC systems to support data-driven design decisions and performance tuning.
• Explore trade-offs in DDR and HBM usage patterns, and propose architectural improvements for mixed-memory and bandwidth-intensive workloads.
• Design and evaluation of ephemeral, user-configurable, and composable data and storage systems.
• Design system-level approaches for time-sensitive or data-intensive processing of data originating at scientific edge systems using large-scale HPC/AI computational and storage systems.
• Coauthor peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and presentations.
• Seek membership and service opportunities in professional, academic, and research organizations.

Benefits

• Prescription Drug Plan
• Dental Plan
• Vision Plan
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Contributory Pension Plan
• Life Insurance
• Disability Benefits
• Generous Vacation and Holidays
• Parental Leave
• Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Accounts
• Wellness Programs
• Educational Assistance
• Relocation Assistance
• Employee Discounts

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees