Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification Computational R&D Engineer, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

You can be the research and development computational engineer we are seeking to join our diverse team! You will support computational modeling and simulation with the research, development, and application of verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification (VVUQ) processes and analysis. You will support challenging computational simulation studies to further Sandia's nuclear deterrence mission and other core mission areas.

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Perform modeling and simulation VVUQ and credibility analysis in partnership with the engineering community in a wide range of discipline areas to support system design, qualification, and maintenance (incl. fluid dynamics, electromagnetics, radiation effects, solid and structural mechanics, heat transfer, numerical methods, optimization, statistics, and risk assessment)
• Teaming and integrating across many disciplines to assess, adapt, and adopt best practices for model credibility analysis and verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification (VVUQ)
• Performing fundamental research and development to provide solutions for next-generation problems.
• Development of verification tests to assess simulation code correctness.
• Design of computational simulation studies to quantify uncertainties.
• Performing and analyzing discretization studies to assess and estimate numerical bias errors in model solutions.
• Partnering with modeling and simulation analysis teams to develop validation hierarchies and performing model validation studies by analyzing and comparing simulation and experimental data to compute validation metrics and assess simulation model predictive accuracy.
• Enabling and performing reliability studies for risk-informed decision making, with a credible and quantified predictive basis.
• Collaborating with system and design engineering to develop and qualify high consequence systems based on an integrated approach to computational simulation and experimental programs.
• Teaching and teaming with partners and introducing current credibility processes and tools to analyst enabling enterprise-wide development of credible Computational Simulation models.
• Working closely with engineering analysis and process integration software teams to ensure that the software infrastructure can support analysts developing credible models.

The selected applicant can work a combination of onsite and offsite work. The selected applicant must live within a reasonable distance for commuting to the assigned work location when necessary.

$102,400 - $199,700

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
  
  
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance

Qualifications We Desire

The ideal R&D S&E Computer Scientist candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Computer Science or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Demonstrated software development skills and familiarity with modern software development practices and tools (e.g., Agile).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams, and a passion to improve and expand technical skills.

Also for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

• PhD in engineering, mathematics, science, or relevant discipline.
• Interest in performing verification, validation, and/or uncertainty quantification on engineering applications.
• Experience of computational modeling and simulation codes and applications in support of engineering applications, such as: finite element, finite difference, finite volume or particle-in-cell (PIC),
• Experience with application of at least one of the following: Monte Carlo and Latin Hypercube sampling for uncertainty quantification, reliability methods, statistics, experimental design, sensitivity methods, optimization and/or stochastic expansion methods, code or solution verification, method of manufactured solutions.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
• Experience in statistical methods
• Proficiency in scripting or programing languages (e.g. Bash, Matlab, Python, Julia, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to work with and/or join multi-disciplinary teams with diverse technical backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to learn and contribute to new technical disciplines outside one's primary area of expertise, adapting quickly to evolving needs.

The mission of the Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) department (1544) is to provide research, development, and application of analytical, computation, and experimental techniques to assess the credibility of physics-based computational models and simulations. The highly cross-cutting, multi-disciplinary team, experienced in simulation and experimentation, draws from a wide range of disciplines, including fluid dynamics, electromagnetics, radiation effects, solid and structural mechanics, heat transfer, numerical methods, optimization, statistics, and risk assessment, to support the laboratories mission. Verification determines whether a computational model accurately represents the conceptual-mathematical model of a physical process, and that the computational model is solved correctly. This requires an exacting knowledge of models and their numerical approximations when implemented into codes. Validation determines the degree of agreement between experimental data and simulation data, including their respective uncertainties. Uncertainty quantification is a key element of validation and it encompasses a broad range of mathematical and statistical analysis methods to assess and quantify model uncertainty. The combination of verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification establishes credibility in our computational models, which are then employed in making high-consequence risk-informed decisions. The analysis tools developed in 1544 can be used to (1) focus and prioritize research and development expenditures, (2) mitigate risk through exploration of system design alternatives, (3) optimize products and process in the presence of both uncertain and variable parameters, and (4) support risk-informed decision making based on statistically-quantified data.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.