Requisition Id 11688 

Overview: 

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation’s biggest problems. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 6,000 people! Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, as well as to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. These elements are critical for enabling the execution of ORNL’s broader mission to accelerate scientific discoveries and their translation into energy, environment, and security solutions for the nation.

The Environmental Sciences Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) seeks a creative individual for a postdoctoral research associate position in the Environmental Risk and Energy Analysis Group. The candidate will work with a multi-disciplinary group of experts in economics, engineering, computer sciences and physical sciences on the economics and policy aspects of decarbonization options, such as renewable energy production and carbon sequestration. The candidate should be an independent thinker and able to participate creatively in defining and refining research directions.

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 

• The successful candidate will interact with a team of scientists and engineers at ORNL on projects evaluating sustainable energy metrics, such as costs, benefits, equity, land use change, and carbon reduction potentials, to identify and accelerate technological and policy options.
• Activities will involve:

1) data collection, processing, and quality assurance

              2) development and simulation of energy system models, data science methods, and econometric models

3) contributions to reports, presentations, and peer-reviewed journal articles.

• The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with ORNL scientists involved in these efforts, to gain expertise in the economic analysis of energy-environmental issues relevant to the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy, and to publish peer-reviewed journal articles in these topics.

• Deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success.

Basic Qualifications:

• A PhD in Energy/Environmental/Natural Resource Economics, Applied Economics with a strong quantitative focus, or a related field completed within the last 5 years
• Experience with quantitative optimization models using software such as GAMS and Python.
• Econometric modeling skills using statistical software (e.g., Limdep, Stata, EViews or R).
• Strong programming skills with R and Python.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills demonstrated through a record of presentations, publications, or job market papers.
• Ability to work independently and interact with a multi-disciplinary group.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with policy evaluation and analysis using economic models
• Experience with computable general equilibrium models using GAMS and/or GTAP
• Experience with visualization and interactive application development in R and Python
• Experience with parallel computing
• Author or co-author of peer-reviewed literature publications
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently and to participate creatively in collaborative teams across the laboratory 
• Ability to function well in a fast-paced research environment, set priorities to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines, and adapt to ever changing needs

Applicants cannot have received their Ph.D. more than five years prior to the date of application and must complete all degree requirements before starting their appointment. The appointment length will be for up to 24 months with the potential for extension. Initial appointments and extensions are subject to performance and the availability of funding.

Please submit three letters of reference when applying to this position. You can upload these directly to your application or have them sent to postdocrecruitment@ornl.gov with the position title and number referenced in the subject line.

Instructions to upload documents to your candidate profile:

• Login to your account via jobs.ornl.gov
• View Profile
• Under the My Documents section, select Add a Document

Benefits at ORNL:  

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain talented people. The laboratory offers many employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to help you and your family live happy and healthy. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also provided for convenience.

Other benefits include: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Life Insurance, Pet Insurance, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.

If you have difficulty using the online application system or need an accommodation to apply due to a disability, please email: ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov .

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 ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

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.