Posting Title

　　Research Scientist - Machine Learning Electron Microscopy Scientist

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　　Location

　　CO - Golden

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　　Position Type

　　Regular

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　　Hours Per Week

　　40

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　　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 NREL mission is to develop renewable energy and energy efficient technologies and practices, advance related science and engineering, and transfer knowledge and innovation to address the nation’s energy and environmental goals. NREL aspires to be a world-class leader in workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating and maintaining a culture of respect, caring, and belonging.

　　The Materials Science Center’s portfolio for fundamental and applied research in renewable energy and energy efficiency includes photovoltaics and solar energy conversion; solar fuels; hydrogen production, storage, and utilization; materials discovery, synthesis, and development; advanced characterization, spectroscopy, microscopy and imaging; theory and computation; energy storage and reliability/durability.

　　The Analytical Microscopy and Imaging Sciences Group within the Materials Science Center is seeking a researcher to provide leadership, technical direction, strategic guidance, and external partnering opportunities to advance current microscopy programs within NREL and to foster new opportunities in machine learning, automation, and data science for early-career scientists at NREL. The Advanced Microscopy and Imaging Sciences Group is building multiscale, multimodal capabilities and unique techniques in the fields of electron microscopy - transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam, electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), scanning probe microscopy (atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy), and optical microscopy (near-filed scanning optical microscopy, cathodoluminescence, and photoluminescence) for the characterization energy materials. Internal groups that we collaborate with are in photovoltaics, energy storage, hydrogen storage, biofuels, catalysts, and wind energy.

　　This group operates within the Materials Science Center ( https://www.nrel.gov/materials-science/index.html ) within the Materials, Chemical, and Computational Sciences (MCCS) Directorate ( https://www.nrel.gov/research/mcst.html ). This experienced researcher will work across the MCCS Directorate and with the other NREL Directorates, including the Mechanical and Thermal Engineering Sciences (MTES) Directorate to improve teaming and cross-directorate capabilities in clean energy systems for NREL. NREL scientists regularly respond to funding opportunities from the Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicles Technology Office (VTO), and/or Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-e).

　　NREL is seeking a research scientist who has experience in these programs and would be responsive to future funding opportunities in these programs for research in applied and fundamental science for characterization and capability development with ideas for external partnering outside of NREL. In relation to the current active programs at NREL, this scientist will provide technical leadership of R&D activities, strategic planning, and communication with DOE, industry, academic institutions, and other national laboratory stakeholders and partners. This position is expected to interface with other machine learning and data science researchers within the laboratory to develop new capabilities and streamlined analysis for fundamental and applied R&D contributing to the NREL and DOE mission.

　　Job Duties:

　　Leadership of a Laboratory Directed Research Development (LDRD) program on advanced characterization and in-situ characterization with machine learning, which involves 10+ researchers at NREL.

　　Lead and execute machine learning for microscopy research and development ensuring the delivery of quality products.

　　Develop external partnerships at universities and in industry to build new capabilities and research programs.

　　Work collaboratively with data science and machine learning groups in MCCS on bringing more impact to diverse characterization groups.

　　Create a supportive and collaborative work environment that encourages innovation, creativity, scientific excellence, and entrepreneurship that enables early-career researchers to reach their full potential.

　　Engage with BES, EERE, VTO, and/or ARPA-e program activities/meetings to understand their strategic directions. Develop opportunities for collaboration that will engage NREL’s researchers on Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) submissions to these program offices.

　　Supports and participates in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) activities by seeking first to understand through active listening, soliciting feedback, valuing, and incorporating diverse perspectives, into the work and team environment.

　　Honor NREL’s employment opportunity, affirmative action, and anti-sexual harassment programs, policies, and procedures.

　　Follow all applicable ES&H programs, policies, and procedures to ensure and maintain a safe work environment and effective operations for research tasks.

　　​The successful candidate will have experience in the following:

　　Extensive knowledge of the scientific publishing process and scientific communication.

　　Modelling and projecting NREL values.

　　Effective team-building skills - creating strong morale and within the team.

　　Collaborative success.

　　Successful leadership skills.

　　Demonstrated project development success in electron microscopy based materials characterization and data science for characterization analysis.

　　Experience in scientific and engineering research environments.

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　　Basic Qualifications

　　Relevant PhD and 9 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 12 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 14 or more years of experience . Applies advanced scientific technical principles, theories and concepts. Contributes to the development of new principles and concepts. Considered a national subject matter expert. Demonstrates leadership in a number of areas, including all team, task and/or project lead responsibilities. Demonstrated management of complex and/or impactful projects. Excellent technical writing, interpersonal and communication skills.

　　* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

　　Additional Required Qualifications

　　Demonstrated record of accomplishment and expertise in materials science, energy science, and/or related fields as evidenced by publications, patents, invited presentations, and other contributions.

　　Extensive knowledge of characterization tools with a focus on electron microscopy - specifically, tool automation and integrated machine learning.

　　Knowledge and experience with the Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicles Technology Office (VTO), and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-e) programs.

　　Proven ability to form diverse teams (capabilities, knowledge, expertise) that can successfully compete for new funding opportunities in BES, EERE, VTO, and/or ARPA-e is highly valued.

　　Strong communication expertise at all levels, from students to senior management.

　　Demonstrated experience and commitment to safety and inculcation of safety culture.

　　Demonstrated ability to effectively lead large research teams.

　　Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

　　Preferred Qualifications

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　　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: Researcher V / Annual Salary Range: $114,500 - $206,100

　　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- and long-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; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement. 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. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition 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.

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　　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 (http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/ofccpost.htm) | Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination (https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_English_unformattedESQA508c.pdf) | Reasonable Accommodations (http://www.nrel.gov/careers/employment-policies.html)

　　E -Verify www.dhs.gov/E-Verify For information about right to work, click here (http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2013/08/13/FinalOSCPosterEN08_01_2013.pdf) for English or here (http://www.justice.gov/crt/file/813271/download) 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.

　　The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a leader in the U.S. Department of Energy’s effort to secure an environmentally and economically sustainable energy future. With locations in Golden and Boulder, Colorado, and a satellite office in Washington, D.C., NREL is the primary laboratory for research, development, and deployment of renewable energy technologies in the United States.

　　NREL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All candidates must be authorized to access the facility per DOE rules and guidance within a reasonable time frame for the specified position in order to be considered for an interview. DOE rules for site access during the interview process are the same regardless of whether the candidate is interviewed on-site, off-site, or via telephone or videoconference. Additionally, DOE contractor employees are prohibited from participating in certain Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs (FGTRPs). If a candidate is currently participating in an FGTRP, they will be required to disclose their participation after receiving an offer of employment and may be required to disengage from participation in the FGTRP prior to commencing employment. Any offer of employment is conditional on the ability to obtain work authorization and to be granted access to NREL by the Department of Energy (DOE).

　　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.

　　Please review the information on our Hiring Process (https://www.nrel.gov/careers/hiring-process.html) website before you create an account and apply for a job. We also hope you will learn more about NREL (https://www.nrel.gov/about/) , visit our Careers site (https://www.nrel.gov/careers/) , and continue to search for job opportunities (https://nrel.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/NREL) at the lab.