{"id":1337293,"url":"https://alion.io/job/nlr-postdoctoral-researcher-mathematical-optimization-for-energy-systems","title":"Postdoctoral Researcher – Mathematical Optimization for Energy Systems","company":{"id":1756652,"name":"NLR","domain":"nlr.gov","url":"https://alion.io/company/nlr-gov","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":91,"open_postings":6,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.167,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":60,"computed_at":"2026-10-21T05:46:15Z"}},"role":"AI/ML","role_family":"AI/ML","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Golden, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":137000,"max_usd":302000,"period":"year","method":"role_country_seniority_unknown","sample_n":4194},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Reinforcement Learning","optional":false},{"name":"C","optional":true},{"name":"Julia","optional":true},{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":true},{"name":"MPI","optional":true},{"name":"OpenMP","optional":true},{"name":"Python","optional":true},{"name":"PyTorch","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-06-15T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-06-15","last_verified_at":"2026-10-21T19:41:25Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":128,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":[],"days_open":128},"description":"Posting Title\nPostdoctoral Researcher - Mathematical Optimization for Energy Systems.\nLocation\nCO - Golden.\nPosition Type\nPostdoc (Fixed Term).\nHours Per Week\n40.\nWorking at NLR\nNLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.\nAt NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.\nJob Description\nThe Advanced Computing Solutions Group in the NLR Computational Science Center has an opening for a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher - Computational Sciences, with an emphasis on mathematical optimization and its application to the design and control of energy systems. We are looking for a dynamic researcher with a strong technical background to help us transform our energy future through advanced automation, control and decision making.\nThe successful candidate will have extensive experience with mathematical optimization formulations and algorithms and their application to physical systems. Additionally, the candidate will be familiar with parallel algorithmic approaches for large-scale linear, nonlinear, integer, and stochastic optimization problems. We anticipate that the research will involve integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, such as reinforcement learning (RL), with classical mathematical optimization approaches and implementations. We seek candidates capable of pursuing research directions that combine these algorithmic components, using implementations that are suitable for effective utilization of the modern parallel computing architectures that are available at NRL. Candidates with creative problem-solving skills, interest in cross-disciplinary collaboration, and a passion for the mission and goals of both NLR and CMEI are of particular interest.\nResponsibilities:\nCollaborate with domain experts to identify where mathematical optimization constitutes a viable approach and maintain awareness of optimization-related research both at NLR and in the literature more generally.\nAdopt existing - or develop new - mathematical, computing, and simulation frameworks required to implement and evaluate the performance of optimization algorithms and solutions.\nCreatively identify new opportunities to leverage AI/RL to augment or enhance classical optimization algorithms and/or formulations.\nAuthor publications and contribute to proposals to sustain research directions.\n.\nBasic Qualifications\nMust be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.\nAdditional Required Qualifications\nExperience formulating optimization problems in an algebraic modeling language, e.g., Pyomo, JuMP, PuLP, GAMS.\nExperience with mathematical optimization solvers, e.g., CPLEX, Gurobi, Xpress, Cbc, Ipopt, and their capabilities.\nGood understanding of optimization fundamentals, both computational and mathematical.\nPreferred Qualifications\nFamiliarity with distributed computing frameworks such as MPI and OpenMP\nExperience with Pyomo and/or JuMP\nExperience programming in Python and/or Julia\nExperience with scalable machine learning frameworks, e.g, PyTorch\nExperience working with diverse, inclusive, and cross-disciplinary research teams\n.\nJob Application Submission Window\nThe anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.\nAnnual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)\nJob Profile: Postdoctoral Researcher / Annual Salary Range: $76,600 - $126,400NLR 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.\nBenefits Summary\nBenefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short-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; and paid holidays. NLR 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.* Based on eligibility rules\nBadging Requirement\nNLR 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.Drug Free Workplace\nNLR 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.\nIf you are offered employment at NLR, 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.\nSubmission Guidelines\nPlease note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NLR 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.\n.\nEqual Opportunity Employer\nAll 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.\nReasonable Accommodations\nE-Verifywww.dhs.gov/E-Verify For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.\nE-Verify is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 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