Postdoctoral Researcher – Life Cycle Inventory Modeling at Scale

Posting TitlePostdoctoral Researcher – Life Cycle Inventory Modeling at Scale

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LocationCO - Golden

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Position TypePostdoc (Fixed Term)

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Hours Per Week40

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Working at NREL

From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our ten employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

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We invite all interested candidates to apply for this opportunity. While we recognize that job seekers may hesitate if they don’t meet every requirement, we encourage dedicated individuals who meet all the basic and additional required qualifications of the role to submit an application. We value the opportunity to consider those who believe they have the necessary skills and ambition to succeed at NREL.

Job Description

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher to support the development of next-generation, open-source life cycle inventories. This role is part of a multi-year collaboration with experts in data integration, emissions analysis, statistical modeling, and life cycle assessment. The focus will be on creating unit process datasets for industries undergoing significant transformation, while also updating legacy data, investigating future environmental impacts, and exploring alternative industrial energy sources.

We are seeking candidates with a recent PhD in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Ecology, or a closely related discipline. Applicants must have experience with industrial emissions datasets, process modeling, and proficiency in advanced LCA tools and energy systems models. Familiarity with NREL’s publicly available databases and tools (such as USLCI, Federal LCA Commons, OpenLCA, or SimaPro) is highly desirable.

The ideal candidate should have strong programming skills in Python or R, be self-motivated, and able to work independently. The position is expected to start in Summer 2025. The candidate will join NREL’s Complex Decision Analysis (CODA) group within the Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC) and collaborate with analysts and researchers on environmental sustainability and economic assessments of various industrial sectors from a systems perspective. For more information about SEAC, visit www.nrel.gov/analysis.

The candidate will join NREL’s growing team in life cycle analysis, contributing to a multi-year project to develop next-generation, open-source life cycle inventories. Key responsibilities include supporting the integration of LCA and energy system models, developing life cycle inventory datasets, and assisting with regional and national decision-support frameworks. The successful candidate will also contribute to manuscript preparation and collaborate with senior engineers and analysts.

Specific duties include:

·       Updating legacy datasets and exploring emerging industrial sectors.

·       Curating and analyzing data to build unit datasets for life cycle inventories.

·       Supporting the development of a code-based life cycle assessment framework.

·       Investigating alternative industrial heat sources and assessing their environmental impacts.

·       Writing code to support model and method development.

·       Collecting and curating data to enhance model development.

·       Applying quantitative and qualitative research methods to assess and visualize results.

·       Writing and publishing research findings in journals, conference proceedings, and technical reports.

·       Presenting research findings at conferences and meetings.

·       Collaborating with colleagues within and outside of NREL, particularly within the CODA group.

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Basic QualificationsMust be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

·       PhD in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Ecology, or a closely related field.

·       Experience with industrial emissions datasets and process modeling.

·       Proficiency in advanced LCA tools and energy systems models.

·       Expertise in life cycle inventories and familiarity with LCA software (e.g., GaBi, SimaPro, ActivityBrowser, or Brightway).

·       Strong analytical skills with a demonstrated ability to apply theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios.

·       Experience coding in Python. Applicants experienced in other programming languages who demonstrate an ability to quickly learn these languages may also be considered.

·       Self-motivated, quick learner with a proven ability to grasp new concepts and develop skills as needed.

·       Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Other Requirements:

·         Availability to start by Summer 2025, or ideally earlier in 2025.

·         Position requires hybrid work arrangement (some in-person work days at South Table Mountain Campus Golden, CO campus, in a typical work week) based in Colorado for at least 1st year of postdoctoral position, and is not open to 100% remote work arrangements outside of Colorado.

Preferred Qualifications

·         Familiarity with NREL’s databases and tools such as USLCI, Federal LCA Commons, OpenLCA, and SimaPro.

·         Knowledge in multiple disciplines, including engineering, software development, sustainability, or renewable energy.

·         Interdisciplinary curiosity and a desire to broaden technical skills.

·         Experience using GitHub or other code-sharing platforms.

·         Strong technical writing skills with a history of publishing in peer-reviewed journals.

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Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)Job Profile: Postdoctoral Researcher / Annual Salary Range: $73,200 - $120,800

NREL 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.

Benefits SummaryBenefits 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. NREL 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

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If you are offered employment at NREL, 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.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL 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.

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