Postdoctoral Researcher – Control and Optimization of Hybrid Energy Systems

National Laboratory of the Rockies

1d • Remote

About The Position

Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth. At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. NLR is seeking a motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Wind-Hybrid Research Group. This group focuses not just on hybrid electricity but also the generation of thermal energy and processing of critical minerals. The successful candidate will contribute to research on hybrid energy systems, with a focus on technical performance modeling, control strategy development, and optimization. This role will involve designing and analyzing systems with various control algorithms to improve operational efficiency and integration.

Requirements

• Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.
• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
• Proven track record in research related to hybrid energy systems.
• Expertise in model predictive control for integrated hybrid energy systems.
• Strong analytical, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Background in control systems.
• Experience with key software programs including Python.
• Experience in developing analytical models of hybrid energy systems.

Nice To Haves

• PhD in Control Systems, preferably with an emphasis on control of hybrid energy systems, and experience developing controllers for hybrid energy systems.
• An understanding of how thermal hybrid systems operate and how thermal energy could best be used to increase system efficacy.

Responsibilities

• Develop technical performance models for controls in hybrid energy systems.
• Investigate and evaluate control strategies for integrated hybrid energy systems.
• Perform optimization and system design considering the impacts of different control algorithms.
• Utilize and advance key software tools, including H2Integrate and HOPP, as well as contribute to creation of new tools as required.
• Apply model predictive control methods to improve performance and integration of hybrid systems.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals.

Benefits

• medical insurance
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• short-term disability insurance
• pension benefits
• 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match
• life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&AD) insurance
• personal time off (PTO)
• sick leave
• paid holidays
• performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component
• relocation expense reimbursement

What This Job Offers

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