Postdoctoral Research Associate - FAST RG: Computational and Experimental Thermal Hydraulics/Thermal

The Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, candidates to apply for the Postdoctoral Research Associate - FAST RG: Computational and Experimental Thermal/ Thermal-Fluids position.

Since its inception in 1996, the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering has brought innovative, real-world engineering education to Central Virginia. Comprised of five different departments plus the Dean’s office, the College of Engineering enrolls more than 2,000 undergraduate and 450 graduate students in several degree programs supported by more than 600 full-time, part-time, and student employees. As part of a premier research university known for tenacity, love of the city of Richmond, and commitment to respect and access, the College of Engineering values the significant and positive impact of our people and ideas in the promotion of regional and global prosperity involving research and life sciences.

Position Responsibilities:

The FAST research group in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering is seeking applications from interested candidates to join as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. In general, postdoctoral research associate will conduct CFD and system level modeling of advanced nuclear and fusion energy systems and support experimental testing in scaled surrogate fluids facilities for both thermal performance and detailed velocimetry (flow visualization) data.

Initially, the research projects for this position will involve two federally funded projects focused on high temperature gas reactor (gas fast reactor) accident modeling and molten salt fusion blanket (LIB) system modeling/experimental testing. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in CFD, system modeling and experimental testing. For CFD, experience using Nek5000/NekRS and OpenFOAM is needed. For system modeling, experience using the System Analysis Module (SAM), MOOSE Thermal Hydraulics Module (THM), or OpenModelica would be ideal. For experiments, experience in developing, running, and interpreting results from one or more studies is preferred. Preference will be given to candidates who have experience in CFD (nek5000) modeling and SAM modeling of similar systems (gas or molten salt). In this position, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work and collaborate with a vast network of scientists and engineers at VCU, nationally (universities, national laboratories, federal agencies), and international organizations.

Required Qualifications:

- Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field such as Physics.
- At least three combined years of system modeling and/or experimental testing in thermal hydraulics/thermal-fluids during PhD.

- Ability to mentor junior team members (graduate and undergraduate students), and ensure the highest levels of laboratory safety (ability to handle laboratory hygiene and any findings)
- Excellent communication skills: Ability to communicate verbally (one-on-one, group, and presentations) and non-verbally (email, journal/conference papers)
- Demonstrated ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams

- Ability to work under tight deadlines and short turnaround times

- Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism, and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a postdoc at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Previous working experience of the CFD code (nek5000/nekRS) as applied to an LWR and/or advanced reactor (HTGR, SFR, MSR, other) with specific experience setting up cases (input decks, post processing), running, troubleshooting, and data analysis resulting in one or more conference/journal publication. Note: A contributed section in DOE report in OSTI would be considered as sufficient.

About the College of Engineering:
Additional information about the department’s programs and faculty may be found at https://egr.vcu.edu/departments/mechanical/.

FLSA Status: Exempt
ORP Eligible: Yes