- Req. Number: IRC125093
- Organization: EES-16/Energy & Natural Resources Security
- City, State: Los Alamos, New Mexico
What You Will Do
The Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is seeking an intellectually curious post-doctoral research associate for an opening in hydrologic modeling using neural network approaches.
The Earth and Environmental Sciences Division at LANL employs about 250 scientists, postdocs, and students. Our Division works on strategic national and global problems related to energy and natural resources security, such as energy production, climate change resilience, wildfire science, carbon sequestration, water security and hydrology, and global security. Our team combines data science and deep learning techniques with fundamental process-level understanding to address these problems.
This position will involve research spanning multiple projects. One project will be aimed at applying long-short term memory networks or other forms of interpretable artificial intelligence to forecast river discharge in watersheds affected by wildland fire. Another project focuses on optimizing reservoir management using state-of-the-art hydrologic forecasting and deep reinforcement learning. Our team has developed a data platform that provides convenient access to large quantities of standardized hydrological data, allowing the researcher to focus more on modeling and less on data wrangling. For this position, machine learning expertise is essential, while knowledge of hydrology and wildland fire science is desirable but not required.
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements:
- Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publications and oral presentations
- Ability to work and communicate effectively in a diverse team environment
- Curiosity and drive to lead research into new areas
- Experience applying machine learning for time series analysis and forecasting
- Understanding of neural network fundamentals
Education: Candidates must have received a Ph.D. within the last five years or will have completed all Ph.D. requirements by the commencement of the appointment.
Desired Qualifications:
- Knowledge of terrestrial hydrology, wildland fire science, and/or dam and reservoir management
- Experience working with geospatial data
- Knowledge of feature important techniques and other methods to interrogate trained neural networks
- Experience using convolutional LSTMs or related architectures to process sequences of images
- Experience with optimization modeling using deep reinforcement learning
Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.
Note to Applicants:
To apply, please submit an online application, including your CV. No applicant is expected to have all the desired skills. Anyone who meets the minimum requirements is encouraged to apply.
In addition to applying online, applicants are encouraged to email their CV and cover letter to Dr. Charles Abolt (cabolt@lanl.gov). Please include your earliest anticipated start date in your email and/or cover letter.
Where You Will Work
Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:
§ PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
§ Dental and vision insurance
§ Free basic life and disability insurance
§ Paid childbirth and parental leave
§ Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
§ Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
§ Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
§ Onsite gyms and wellness programs
§ Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50 mile radius)
Additional Details
Directive 206.2 – Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.
Position does not require a security clearance. Selected candidates will be subject to drug testing and other pre-employment background checks.
New-Employment Drug Test: The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.
Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer and supports a diverse and inclusive workforce. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or preference, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal laws and regulations. The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request such an accommodation, please send an email to applyhelp@lanl.gov or call 1-505-665-4444 option 1.
