Electric Drives Researcher

at  Oak Ridge National Laboratory

OVERVIEW:

The Centrifuge Science (CS) Section within the Enrichment Science and Engineering Division (ESED) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking an Electric Drives Researcher for the Mechanical Systems Modeling (MSM) Group. The Electric Drives Researcher will perform research on electric drive systems for gas centrifuges. This research primarily involves design, PCB layout, reliability analysis, and accelerated life testing of drives or their subsystems.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• PhD degree and 4 years relevant postgraduate experience or a MS degree with 7 years postgraduate experience in electrical engineering or closely related engineering or science discipline.
• Experience with motors, motor drives, and power electronics.
• Excellent communication (verbal and written), strategic planning, organization, and decision-making skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated prior leadership experience.
• PCB design and modeling experience in Altium
• Experience with MATLAB, C++, and Python.
• Experience with programming Texas Instruments DSP product lines for drives.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance from the US Department of Energy. As such, this position is a Workplace Substance Abuse (WSAP) testing designated position. WSAP positions require passing a preplacement drug test and participation in an ongoing random drug testing program.
• Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

PURPOSE:

ESED serves the nation in two critical areas: advancing enrichment technologies and exploring enriched stable isotope production and applications. The division leverages an elite staff of scientists and engineers with the world-leading capabilities of ORNL to deliver groundbreaking advancements with a variety of applications, from national security to life-saving medical treatments. ESED is the national steward for the research, development, and demonstration of centrifuge technology. The successful candidate will provide research and development (R&D) leadership to the group that strategically advances science and technology focused on gas testing of prototype enrichment devices for processing uranium-bearing and stable isotope compounds.The Mechanical Systems Modeling Group applies first principles and empirical approaches to advance the physics and engineering understanding of enrichment devices using analytical methods and computational tools. The Electric Drives Researcher will provide research and development (R&D) leadership to the group/section/division in the area of motor drives.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Major duties will be to design drive components including the power stage, driver circuitry, various on-board power supplies, signal conditioning, and controller circuitry. The successful candidate will also perform PCB layout and reliability analysis for these designs. Design activities will involve improving on existing designs and entirely new design efforts. Many of these activities will require close collaboration with other personnel. Finally, the candidate will be responsible for developing plans for and helping implement accelerated life testing of drive components. Additional duties include the following:

• Establish and conduct research within the field of motor drives as it relates to centrifuge and enrichment technologies.
• Interact with management and group/section/division members to define, execute, and report on relevant project elements.
• Actively collaborate with the domain experts from U.S. government laboratories and academia involved in similar efforts.
• Significantly contribute to R&D, design, and experimental troubleshooting activities.
• Publish high-quality research results in peer-reviewed classified reports.
• Publish and present nonsensitive research in journals and conferences, if authorized by the sponsoring agency.