Post-Doctoral Researcher - Inverter-Based Resources (IBR) Controls and Power System Stability Analysis

Posting Title

Post-Doctoral Researcher - Inverter-Based Resources (IBR) Controls and Power System Stability Analysis

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Location

CO - Golden

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Position Type

Postdoc (Fixed Term)

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Hours Per Week

40

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Working at NREL

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

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), located at the foothills of the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency technologies, and energy systems integration.

The Power Systems Engineering Center (PSEC) is looking for a Post-Doctoral Researcher to contribute to Inverter Based Resources (IBR) Driven Stability Studies and Analysis. PSEC at NREL is supports the science and technology goals of the U.S. Department of Energy and NREL toward a sustainable energy future. The center works with the electricity industry to optimize strategies for effectively interconnecting renewable resources and emerging energy efficiency technologies in the existing electric power system. The center focuses on resolving grid integration barriers and providing improved control and management strategies for increased grid flexibility, consumer empowerment, and transportation electrification.

The global energy transition is rapidly advancing towards renewable energy sources, with Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs) like solar, wind, and batteries becoming central due to their declining costs and technological improvements. This shift is supported by policy incentives, grid modernization, and the increasing importance of energy storage solutions to manage variability and enhance grid stability. In particular, as the penetration of IBRs increases, power system dynamics undergo changes, leading to unprecedented dynamic events that threaten power system stability and reliability. This position will be dedicated to multiple high impact projects to work on inverter-based-resources (IBR) dominant grids. The successful candidate will be the key contributors to those projects to develop IBR models, perform power system stability study and analysis, and propose solutions to improve system stability with high IBRs.

Job duties include but are not limited to:

• Performing deep fundamental studies to investigate IBR-driven stability from the device level to the power system level and propose stability improvements to control strategies for IBR dominant power systems with low inertia and short-circuit ratio (SCR).
• Build IBR-dominant power systems electromagnetic transient (EMT) models in PSCAD and develop automatic scripts to run large set of simulation scenarios, and extract key features for studies (stability study etc.)
• Study the IBR-driven stability patterns and help develop corresponding control improvements based on large numbers of scenario.
• Perform comprehensive fault studies to evaluate the adequacy of existing protection schemes and propose improved protection schemes for industry collaboration projects

The successful candidate is expected to be knowledgeable on inverter control techniques and electric power system operations.  They should understand the current state-of-the-art approaches and methodologies for IBR driven stability in electrical grids. Further, this position requires excellent writing and communication skills to disseminate completed works through publications in high-quality journals and conferences. The successful candidate will also follow all Environment, Safety, and Health policies and procedures to ensure and maintain a safe working environment.

This position includes extensive hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) laboratory testing and is hiring for full on-site or a hybrid (at least 50% on-site, some Work from Home) arrangement. This position is not open to fully remote positions from outside Colorado.

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Basic Qualifications

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

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Recent Ph.D. graduate in electrical engineering (or similar) within the last 3 years.
• Solid power electronics control background with knowledge in linear system control theory
• Solid knowledge foundation in converter and power system modeling (small signal and large signal modeling, stability analysis, stabilization)
• Solid knowledge in power system dynamics and stability analysis

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven knowledge with power electronics, control theory, and power system stability and good experience with IBR modeling, control, and stability study
• Extensive experience with software simulation tools for modeling power electronics including PSCAD, RSCAD, PSSE, PSLF, and MATLAB/Simulink SimPowerSystems
• Computer programming (e.g., Python) and simulation automation scripting
• Experience with machine learning algorithms, especially deep reinforcement learning
• Experience with laboratory Hardware-in-the-Loop platforms (e.g., RTDS, OPAL-RT)
• Existing track record of high-quality publications
• Excellent writing and communications skills
• Ability to present technical results to a wide audience

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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 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. 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

Badging Requirement

NREL 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.

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NREL 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.

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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EEO Policy

NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All 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.

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