Nuclear Technology Applications and Impacts Postdoctoral Fellow

The Applications and Impacts Post-Doctoral Fellow will support research and development in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Nuclear Technologies Department (NT) within the DTRA Research and Development Directorate (RD). The mission of the division is to deliver applications for nuclear operations, provide wargaming and experimentation tools for nuclear environments, and support these from a common architecture of nuclear modeling and simulation enabling technologies to inform decision-makers and planning. NTI is the Nation’s experts on nuclear weapons employment and the consequences of use.

The post-doctoral fellow will apply physics, engineering, and advanced computational techniques, such as machine learning and data science, to provide technical subject matter expertise supporting the development of new studies, modeling and simulation, and algorithms. The Post-Doctoral Fellow will work along with the Division Chief and research managers in the Nuclear Applications and Impacts Division (RD-NTI) and will be assigned a science Mentor within RD-NTI.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• This position is focused on support of DTRA program management for modeling and simulation software development.
• Investigate scientific or technological areas of interest under guidance of a Mentor.
• Learn program management processes and help the Government guide research investments.
• Interact with operational military units to understand their needs, limitations, and potential concepts for employing new technologies.
• Support the evaluation of technical proposals, research findings, and research topics.
• Be flexible at learning and reviewing concepts beyond a narrow specialty.
• Other duties and responsibilities may arise as the candidate’s experience matures.

 EXPERIENCE DESIRED

• Knowledge in areas of physics, or engineering with a moderate understanding of data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence and the application of those tools to scientific problems.
• Data Science & Machine Learning: Advise program managers on the state-of-the-art application of data science and AI/ML, evaluating the technical merit of proposed algorithms and models to guide investment in next-generation wargaming and decision-support tools.
• Software Engineering: Assess proposed software architectures and development plans to ensure they produce robust, scalable, and interoperable applications that align with a common M&S framework and meet the operational needs of the warfighter.
• Numerical Physics & Engineering: Provide essential subject matter expertise by validating the scientific soundness of physics-based models in proposals and research, particularly for radiation detection, weapons effects, and consequence assessment.
• Ability to work in a highly complex environment, both individually and as part of a team, while showing initiative to learn about new scientific disciplines, think about new ways to solve a problem, and get involved in projects.
• Strong written and verbal communications.

ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS

•  Candidate must be a US citizen.
•  Candidates must be able to obtain a SECRET level security clearance.
•  Candidates must pass a drug screen/background check

Location: Fort Belvoir, VA
(applicants must be willing to relocate to greater Washington, DC area).

POTENTIAL CAREER PATHS

A postdoctoral position with DTRA/RD-NTI offers technical skills and training relevant to federal program management and may lead to potential career opportunities such as:

• Government Program Manager
• Government Researcher
• Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) or Systems Engineering Technical Advisory (SETA) contractor supporting federal agencies
• Department of Defense or Department of Energy contract scientist/researcher