Posting Title
Postdoctoral Researcher – Industrialized Construction Innovation
.
Location
CO - Golden
.
Position Type
Postdoc (Fixed Term)
.
Hours Per Week
40
.
Working at NREL
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our ten employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.
NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.
Our planet needs us! Learn about NREL’s critical objectives, and see how NREL is focused on saving the planet.
Note: Research suggests that potential job seekers may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to apply. We seek dedicated people who believe they have the skills and ambition to succeed at NREL to apply for this role.
Job Description
The Communities and Urban Science Research Group in the Building Technologies and Science Center at NREL conducts research related to building and district energy efficiency, built environment decarbonization, resilience, and community sustainability. We work with communities to deploy affordable strategies and energy-efficient building technologies that meet the community's needs and sustainability goals. Our work enables the NREL vision of a clean energy future for the world.
Our team members represent diverse disciplines and backgrounds, as diversity of experience, perspective, and expertise is needed to solve the climate challenges of today and tomorrow. We are engineers, scientists, researchers, managers, and visionaries dedicated to leading innovation for a clean energy economy.
We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled Postdoctoral Researcher to join our team to push the frontiers of industrialized construction to cater to volume production of next-generation energy-efficient buildings, while simultaneously contributing to decarbonization of the construction sector. The successful candidate will explore how emerging technologies in computational building design like generative modeling, advanced manufacturing methods like robotics, and supply chain innovations like distributed manufacturing can augment industrialized construction to accelerate decarbonization of the construction sector. We seek candidates who can synthesize literature and translate use cases in scaling industrialized construction to address real-world problems like increasing energy efficiency, renewables integration, electrification, and grid friendliness in the construction sector.
Candidates should have foundational knowledge in building design engineering, applied knowledge in advanced manufacturing for building component and assembly manufacturing, and macroeconomic understanding of the construction supply chain.
We welcome candidates from a variety of backgrounds, including but not limited to building design engineering, construction management, engineering design, production engineering, advanced manufacturing, and industrial engineering. . This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at a national laboratory shaping the future of high-efficiency industrialized construction practices to produce and construct next-generation buildings.
Under the general direction of senior staff, the postdoctoral researcher will:
- Contribute to the design and development of next-generation building systems and components, including panelized envelope systems; unitized mechanical, electrical, and plumbing assemblies; integrated power generation; and storage and distribution systems, including grid-interactive smart sensors and meters.
- Utilize advanced 3D modeling and analysis tools for development and multidisciplinary performance testing of modularized building systems, components, and assemblies.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to integrate cutting-edge building materials and systems innovations into building prototypes.
- Investigate advanced manufacturing techniques including assembly line modernization, robotic fabrication, robotic process automation, on-site robotic construction, and additive concrete construction suitable for volume production of affordable energy-efficient next-generation buildings.
- Utilize simulation tools for testing and optimizing optimal integration of advanced manufacturing technologies into construction processes.
- Utilize machine learning-powered predictive analysis tools to identify potential supply chain bottlenecks associated with scaling production of next-generation building systems and components.
- Address challenges related to building code compliance, inspection, and certification while integrating off-site prefabrication, and on-site automation in construction processes.
- Utilize life cycle analysis to assess the environmental impact of proposed innovations across the industrialized construction supply chain.
.
Basic Qualifications
Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.
* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
Additional Required Qualifications
- Recent Ph.D. graduate within the last three years.
- Ph.D. in Architecture, Architectural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field.
- Foundational knowledge about building systems design, fabrication, and construction.
- Proficiency in 3D modeling, building performance analysis, and/or life cycle assessment.
- Exposure to construction simulations, process modeling, and optimization.
- Knowledge of advanced manufacturing and fabrication techniques.
- Familiarity/interest in handling advanced fabrication and manufacturing machinery.
- Interest in exploring robot programming, computer vision sensing, programming, and prototyping.
- Publication record and ability to lead innovative research projects.
- Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset to work with large multi-disciplinary teams.
Preferred Qualifications
.
Job Application Submission Window
The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.
Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)
Job Profile: Postdoctoral Researcher / Annual Salary Range: $73,200 - $120,800
NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.
Benefits Summary
Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short-term disability insurance*; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; and paid holidays. NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement.
* Based on eligibility rules
Drug Free Workplace
NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.
If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.
Submission Guidelines
Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.
.
EEO Policy
NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.
EEO is the Law | Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination | Reasonable Accommodations
E-Verify www.dhs.gov/E-Verify For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.
E-Verify is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This business uses E-Verify in its hiring practices to achieve a lawful workforce.