Physicist Research Scientist

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory • Full-time • Missouri, United States • 6h ago

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's (LBNL) Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics Division (ATAP) has an opening for a Physicist Research Scientist to join the Advanced Modeling Program team.

In this exciting role, you will perform research in the Advanced Modeling Program as a key member of a team consisting of physicists, applied mathematicians, software engineers, and students. Use and improve the high-performance simulation tools of the BLAST suite, to model systems involving plasmas, accelerated particle beams, and/or high-intensity lasers, such as particle accelerators and colliders, fusion devices, and experiments. Working collaboratively with ATAP scientists, engineers, postdoctoral scholars, technicians, and students, document and communicate results of work in peer-reviewed journals, oral presentations, and participate in meetings, conferences, and reviews.

What You Will Do:

Design, perform, and analyze simulations of particle accelerators and colliders, including simulations of beam crossing at the interaction point, towards the design of future large-scale facilities.
Design, perform, and analyze simulations of fusion-relevant plasma systems, with an emphasis on ensuring that all the key physics (esp. collisional effects) is correctly captured with the Particle-In-Cell (PIC) algorithm.
Participate in multi-laboratory collaboration on the development of the BLAST (Beam, pLasma & Accelerator Simulation Toolkit) suite of codes that includes the Particle-In-Cell (PIC) codes WarpX and ImpactX, esp. to add new capabilities relevant to the above-mentioned simulations.
Run simulations on modern high-performance computing architecture, esp. using GPUs.
Work closely with scientists, postdocs, and graduate students.
Document and communicate results of work in peer-reviewed journal publications and in oral presentations, including participation in meetings, conferences, and reviews.
Use advanced visualization tools to convey the results of simulations in a way that is understandable to various audiences.
Adhere to Environment, Safety, and Health (EH&S) policies and practices, as well as IDEA principles.

What is Required:

Ph.D. in Physics or related field plus postdoctoral research experience, or overall equivalent breadth and depth of experience.
Demonstrated experience in running and analyzing Particle-In-Cell simulations of plasmas and/or particle accelerators.
Demonstrated experience in adding new features in high-performance simulation codes.
Demonstrated experience of written and oral presentation of scientific results.
Knowledge of modern C++ and Python for scientific computing.
Knowledge of parallel, High-Performance Computing (MPI, GPU programming).

Desired Qualifications:

Demonstrated experience in using advanced visualization tools (e.g., Paraview, Visit).
Excellent analytical, organizational, and multi-tasking skills.

Notes:

This is a full-time 2-year term appointment with the possibility of extension or conversion to Career appointment based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds, and ongoing operational needs.
This position is expected to pay $10,165 to $14,231 per month, which fits within the full salary range of $7,624 to $18,297 per month for this position. Salary will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualification, skills, knowledge, and abilities, including relevant education, certifications, and years of experience and aligned with internal peer group.
This position may be subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.
Work will be primarily performed at: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA.

Learn About Us:

Berkeley Lab (LBNL) addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 16 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

Working at Berkeley Lab has many rewards including a competitive compensation program, excellent health and welfare programs, a retirement program that is second to none, and outstanding development opportunities.

Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We heartily welcome applications from women, minorities, veterans, and all who would contribute to the Lab's mission of leading scientific discovery, inclusion, and professionalism. In support of our diverse global community, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.