Postdoctoral Researcher - Physics-Based Engineering Modeling and Validation for Drone Swarm Applications
Boulder, COAll locationsBoulder, CORemote Site Remote
$76,600–$126,400 a yearJobFig found this opening at its original source and checks that it remains available.
About the role
The National Wind Technology Center at the NLR Flatiron’s Campus is seeking a qualified candidate to help execute projects related to physics-based engineering modeling and validation for drone swarm applications. The researcher will adopt physics-based engineering tools previously developed for wind turbine and wind-farm tools applications (e.g., OpenFAST and FAST.Farm) to drone swarm applications, including individual drone aero-servo-elastics and drone-wake/downwash interaction. The engineer will identify and support improvements to the engineering tools through theory development and software implementation. They will systematically verify and validate (V&V) the tools through comparisons to fidelity-first modeling results (e.g., Kynema) and measurement data to quantitatively understand their applicability, accuracy, and limitations. They will also collaborate with other researchers focused on drone fidelity-first modeling, drone swarm control, and drone swarm applications. The researcher will be able to move fluidly between theory development, software implementation, model V&V, and applications. The researcher will work with a wide variety of customers including the U.S. Department of Energy Integrated Energy Systems Office. They may also work collaboratively with other national laboratories, industry and academic partners, and the international community to execute projects. The researcher is expected to demonstrate a broad understanding and wide application of engineering principles, theories, and concepts as well as general knowledge of drone-related disciplines, applications and challenges. Candidates with aerospace or mechanical engineering backgrounds with some knowledge of wind engineering and/or drone applications are encouraged to apply.
What you'll bring
- Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.
- Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
- The successful candidate will have excellent writing, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- The candidate will be expected to publish research results in technical journals/conference proceedings and present work at conferences, symposia, and review meetings.
- They may also be expected to support the development of new work proposals, preparations, and reviews.
- NLR 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.
- NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions.
- All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation.
- Experience with wind turbine modeling tools used, e.g., FAST/OpenFAST, Bladed, and/or HAWC2.
- Experience with wind-farm modeling tools, e.g., FLORIS, FAST.Farm, and/or DWM for wind farms.
- Comfort with standard software workflows on GitHub.
- Familiarity with uncertainty quantification and machine-learning principles.