Postdoctoral Researcher: Inverter-based Resources (IBR) Driven Power System Protection Study & Stability Analysis

Posting Title

• Location
• CO - Golden.
• Position Type
• Postdoc (Fixed Term).
• Hours Per Week
• 40.

Working at NLR

NLR 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.

At 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.

About the role

This position is within the Energy Systems Control and Optimization (ESCO) group within the Power Systems Engineering Center (PSEC) at The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). It will be dedicated to multiple high impact projects to advance the state-of-the-art transient stability studies in inverter-based-resources (IBR) dominant grids. The successful candidate will be the key contributors to those projects to develop.

Job duties and responsibilities include

• Develop protective relay models based on vendor's relay datasheet and manual
• Perform comprehensive fault studies to evaluate the adequacy of existing protection schemes and propose improved protection schemes, and validate through simulated relay models and/ commercial protective relays in hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) for an industry collaborated project
• Perform deep fundamental studies to investigate the IBR-driven stability from device level to system level and propose stability improvement control strategies for IBR dominant power systems with low inertia and short-circuit ratio (SCR).
• Build IBR-dominated power systems EMT model in PSCAD and develop automatic script to run large set of simulation scenarios, and extract key features for studies (stability study etc.)
• Lead and/contribute to journal articles, conference papers, and technical reports..

Basic Qualifications

Must be a recent PhD graduate within the last three years.

• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Mandatory knowledge, skills and abilities include

• Strong background of power system protection and good knowledge of protection relays (e.g., differential element, distance element, directional element, traveling wave based protection), and good hands-on experience with protection relay configuration and relay-hardware-in-the-loop testing and results analysis using Synchrowave etc.
• Good knowledge in power electronics, control theory, and power system stability and familiar with IBR modeling, control, and stability analysis (e.g., small-signal stability analysis, transient stability analysis)
• Good experience with short-circuit programs, such as CAPE, ASPEN and CAPE, and familiar with power system simulation software tools, such as PSCAD, PSSE, PSLF, Matlab/Simulink, RSCAD, and highly proficiency with python programing.
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Ability to work independently and troubleshoot issues

Preferred Qualifications.

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: $76,600 - $126,400

NLR 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 Summary

Benefits 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

Badging Requirement

NLR 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

• If 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.

Submission Guidelines

Please 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..