R&D Associate in Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis on Industrial Decarbonization

Requisition Id 10201 

Overview:

Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Research & Analysis (MEERA) Group within the Manufacturing Science Division (MSD) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking to fill a R&D Associate position to work in the areas of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), technoeconomic optimization; and industrial energy efficiency and decarbonization analyses research under the Strategic Analysis and Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs. The MEERA Group supports a multi-laboratory Department of Energy (DOE) Strategic Analysis Team that conducts independent, objective, and credible research analysis to inform decision-making. To gain insights on manufacturing supply chains, the team conducts techno-economics, value chain, trade, patent, and global manufacturing competitiveness analysis relevant to advanced manufacturing technologies. The team builds and applies analysis tools and analytics to draw insights on the manufacturing sector’s impact on energy, water, carbon, and materials productivity throughout the U.S. economy and to identify opportunities for improvement. Through the Industrial Energy Efficiency Program, the MEERA Group develops a diverse portfolio of industrial energy efficiency tools and resources which are delivered to the manufacturing sector through various technical assistance and training events worldwide. 

Main Responsbilities / Job Duties:

You will support MEERA Group’s strategic analysis and modeling research activities on industrial decarbonization technologies for various DOE program offices. The latest analysis focus of DOE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) and Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) has been on different decarbonization technology pillars. The industrial decarbonization pillars include energy efficiency, electrification, low-carbon fuels, and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS). You will work independently and with senior technical staff toward collecting data on various industry sectors and specific decarbonization technologies relevant to those sectors. You will also have the opportunity to conduct LCA/TEA analysis on few cross-cutting decarbonization technology areas such as hydrogen, thermal process intensification, industrial drying, etc.

Basic Qualifications:

• PhD in any Engineering field is required (Mechanical / Industrial Engineering/ Environmental / Chemical Engineering are preferred).  You should have an excellent quantitative and analytical research background which can be applied to conduct research analysis on advanced manufacturing technologies and manufacturing systems that could achieve transformative gains in process productivity and enhance manufacturing sustainability.
• The ability to develop optimization and life cycle models analyzing advanced manufacturing technologies and energy and transportation systems of the future is required. An educational background in sustainable manufacturing technologies is preferable with an emphasis on circular economy research.
• Candidates should possess strong analytical capabilities with an experience in the area of life cycle energy and cost assessments for conducting manufacturing technology assessments. Some experience in working in the genetic algorithm and artificial neural networks would be useful. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in manufacturing process modeling of advanced manufacturing technologies is valuable but not required. Proficiency in the use of industry standard modeling and simulation tools, such as spreadsheet-based process cost modeling, input/output modeling, and commercially available life cycle analysis tools such as SimaPro, openLCA, and GREET will be useful.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to make weekly presentations to sponsors and others and to prepare reports, proposals, and publications/journal articles is required.
• Strong interpersonal skills to support team building and leadership in addition to a strong commitment to scientific integrity is an important requirement.
• Limited travel will be required for this position. No security clearance is required.

UT-Battelle offers competitive salaries, excellent health care insurance, generous retirement plans (401k / pension), and other benefits including family leave, educational assistance and wellness programs.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email [email protected].

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply.  UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.