Postdoctoral Research Associate - Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics

Oak Ridge National Laboratory • Oak Ridge, TN

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) provides state-of-the-art computational and data science infrastructure for technical and scientific professionals to accelerate scientific discovery and engineering advances across a broad range of disciplines. As an important part of the broader High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure, the division also hosts the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), a Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility. The OLCF has the charge to develop and apply transformational computational science capabilities in support of dramatic advances in our understanding of the physical world and using that knowledge to address the most pressing national and international concerns. It delivers leadership-class computing for science and engineering; focuses on grand-challenge science and engineering applications; procures largest-scale computer systems (beyond typical vendor design points) and develops high-end operational and application software; and educates and trains the next generation of computational scientists.

A postdoctoral associate position is available immediately for candidates interested in and capable of performing leading-edge computational science research and development with a focus on the development of software for calculations in lattice quantum chromodynamics (Lattice QCD). Areas of specific interest include the porting of lattice QCD libraries to the Exascale Architectures (e.g. Frontier at OLCF) and/or emerging programming models (HIP, SYCL, Kokkos, etc), software optimization and/or algorithmic research and development in the areas of gauge field generation, linear and eigen-solvers, or novel analysis methods. This position will reside in the Advanced Computing for Nuclear, Particle and Astrophysics Group within the Science Engagement section of NCCS. Members of this group partner with NCCS users in the areas of areas of computational Astronomy, Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics to enable, promote and optimize the use of, and to maximize the benefits of using the world class facilities provided by NCCS.

The successful candidate will be mentored and teamed with a staff member in the Scientific Computing Group in the OLCF, and will collaborate with leading computer and computational scientists at ORNL and in the US Lattice QCD community in the development and application of new computational techniques specifically targeted at the key DOE Office of Science and other missions. The appointment will be for one year, with the possibility of renewal for a second year, depending on performance and the availability of funding.

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation’s biggest problems. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 6,000 people! Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, as well as to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. These elements are critical for enabling the execution of ORNL’s broader mission to accelerate scientific discoveries and their translation into energy, environment, and security solutions for the nation.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in theoretical physics, computational physics, computer science, applied mathematics, computational science or a related discipline, earned no more than five years prior to the date of the application

Nice To Haves

• A strong computational science background in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics or related field.
• Deep understanding of application development techniques (programming models, algorithms, software) at scale (large processor counts).
• Excellent interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills, organizational skills, and strong personal motivation.
• The ability to work in a dynamic, team environment.
• Experience with one or more prominent computational science software packages in the area of Lattice Gauge Theories (Chroma, CPS, MILC, QUDA, Grid, etc.) is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with C/C++ and accelerator application programming models such as CUDA, HIP, SYCL, OpenMP, Kokkos or Raja, vectorization; MPI; and one-sided asynchronous programming models.
• Experience in heterogeneous computing, developing and debugging massively parallel algorithms and code performance profiling are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Developing and porting of scalable science applications and algorithms for OLCF and other leadership computers.
• Debugging and tuning applications for high performance.
• Developing performance models of existing scalable applications for future architectures through the use of proxy or mini-applications.
• Applying large-scale computational methodologies to meet scientific objectives.
• Conduct research and report results in journal publications, conference papers and technical manuals.
• Deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.

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
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree