R&D Associate Staff Member - Electricity System Planning

Requisition Id 8606 

Job Description: 

The Power Systems Resilience Group (PSR) within the Electrification and Energy Infrastructures Division (EEID) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking to fill a an R&D Associate Staff researcher with electricity system planning, operating, or protection and control experience to assist with R&D projects in support the of the power systems research program in advanced grid modeling efforts. Most topics will be connected with the electricity sector or its interaction with other sectors and will include: Power Systems Modeling, Power System Simulation, and Real time Hardware Systems.

The PSR Group supports multi-laboratory research, including research supporting DOE’s Office of Electricity (OE), Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) on the electricity grid’s resilience and reliability, grid modeling and analysis, integration of new technologies, and identifying and validating new ways of using existing grid assets to ensure grid reliability, grid resilience, environmental stewardship, and affordability of energy supplies. PSR conducts modeling, analysis and R&D specifically related to the grid and  applies PSR’s expertise to other technologies and generation assets, such as hydropower, to develop and evaluate options and methodologies for operations, dispatch, and planning.

You will assist with applied research and consulting in electrical power systems. Fields of interest can be far-reaching and include: transmission and distribution system modeling, production-cost modeling, transient modeling, critical infrastructure assessments, design and use of reliability and resilience tools, design of protection and control schemes, protective relay design, incorporation of renewable energy into electricity systems, economics of electricity generation, environmental aspects of electricity generation, energy efficiency, demand response, distributed energy resources, smart grids, and energy supply and demand modeling, power systems modeling and simulation, development of software, modeling tools and interfaces, and production cost modeling / economic analysis. Immediate applied research needs in real-time model development, data management, programming for simulation automation.

You will 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:

• Requires a BS and 6+ years of experience, MS and 4+ years relevant experience or equivalent, PhD and 2+ years relevant experience or equivalent in engineering, preferably with a focus on power and energy systems.
• Power and energy systems, utility modeling and simulation experience (either working for a utility or as a consultant)
• Programming and/or software development experience (Python, C/C++, MATLAB)
• Possess excellent interdisciplinary skills, a knowledge of relevant public and private stakeholders is desirable, excellent oral communications capabilities (for making presentations), strong writing skills for preparing reports, proposals, and publications/journal articles, and strong people skills to support team building and leadership.
• A strong commitment to scientific integrity is an important requirement

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in utility operations and planning.  Knowledge of utility data networks, data flow, EMS systems, model development processes, etc.
• Proficiency in the use of industry standard modeling, simulation tools (PSSE, PSLF, Powerworld, etc…)
• Experience with protection system design and simulation, hardware-in-loop / real-time simulation experience
• Experience with Agile project management, SCRUM, etc
• Limited travel will be required for this position. No security clearance is required.

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.