About Sandia:

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

What Your Job Will Be Like:

Are you passionate about performing experimental research in the field of materials science and mechanical behavior of materials? Are you collaboration-focused and want to join a diverse team that solves significant issues facing our nation and the world? You could be the postdoctoral appointee that we are looking for to work in the area of nanomechanical testing and autonomous experimentation! This is an exciting opportunity to join a highly productive and collaborative network of scientists.

• You will explore the mechanical behavior of materials across length scales using advanced techniques:
• Nanoindentation, micropillar compression, MEMS-based thin film testing, microtensile methods, and conventional loadframe-based mechanical testing.

Materials of interest span:

• Nanocrystalline metals, thin film systems, additively manufactured alloys, and architected metamaterials, with applications in structural materials, micro/nano-devices, and flexible electronics.
• You will also contribute to a growing effort in autonomous and agentic experimentation, helping to design and implement AI/ML-driven closed-loop testing workflows that accelerate scientific discovery.
• In these pursuits you will be leveraging a suite of nanomechanical testing platforms including instrumented nanoindentation, custom MEMS-based actuators, and in situ electron microscopy capabilities with access to many more cutting-edge tools and facilities at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) and Sandia's new Center for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (CAMINO).
• Your work will push the boundaries of what is possible in high-throughput, self-driving mechanical characterization, generating rich process-structure-property datasets that connect to modeling and simulation efforts across the laboratory.

There are also opportunities open to new research pathways as well as to engage with complementary research efforts and interact with a broad spectrum of scientists internal and external to the laboratory.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite. Relocation will be provided for those that qualify.

Qualifications We Require:

• PhD in a physical science or engineering discipline (e.g., Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field) must have been conferred within five years prior to employment.
• Experience with mechanical testing of materials (e.g., conventional loadframe-based mechanical testing, nanoindentation, micropillar compression, thin film testing, or related techniques)
• Experience with materials characterization techniques (e.g. scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and/or other characterization techniques)
• Documented experience in both oral presentation settings and in published communication

Qualifications We Desire:

We realize that no one will have all the background we desire, so any subset of these skills could make you a candidate for the project, especially if you want to grow in these areas through your own skill development and through collaborations:

• Experience with in situ electron microscopy experiments (such as nanomechanical testing, heating, environmental exposure, etc.)
• Experience with autonomous experimentation, Bayesian optimization, active learning, or other AI/ML-driven experimental workflows
• Proficiency with programming for instrument control, data analysis, and/or workflow automation using Python or similar software
• Familiarity with additive manufacturing processes and the characterization of additively manufactured materials
• Familiarity with thin film deposition, processing, and microstructural characterization
• Experience in using electron microscopy for diffraction analysis and defect analysis
• Familiarity with constitutive modeling, finite element analysis, or molecular dynamics as applied to mechanical behavior
• Capacity for conception, design, control, and execution of experiments
• Ability to work as an independent researcher with a high level of scientific judgment, as well as to collaborate with other researchers in a diverse team
• Experience with MEMS-based mechanical testing, microtensile methods, or other custom small-scale testing platforms

About Our Team:

Our team spans across several departments, offering a broad collaborative environment. Some of the topics our team is known for include:

• Scientific discovery and peer-reviewed publications on nanotechnology, material science, microsystems, metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and related fields.
• Solutions for research and development problems involving mechanical properties of materials.
• Relationships and dependencies among materials structures, composition, properties, performance, reliability, and service environments.
• Diagnostics and modeling that enable deep scientific investigations of material behavior and prevention of failure.
• Pioneering approaches to autonomous experimentation and AI-accelerated materials discovery.

This department supports the Center for Integrated Nanotechnology (CINT). CINT is a Department of Energy/Office of Science Nanoscale Science Research Center operating as a national user facility devoted to establishing the scientific principles that govern the design, performance, and integration of nanoscale materials. Through its core facility in Albuquerque and gateway facility in Los Alamos, CINT provides users from academia, industry, and government labs open access to the tools and expertise needed to explore the continuum from scientific discovery to the integration of nanostructures into the micro- and macro world. CINT is an equal partnership between Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Security Clearance:

This position does not currently require a Department of Energy (DOE) security clearance.

Sandia will conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Furthermore, employees in New Mexico need to pass a U.S. Air Force background screen for access to Kirtland Air Force Base. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause access to be denied or terminated, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment. Under federal law, citizens and agents of the People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, and the Russian Federation are generally prohibited from accessing Sandia National Laboratories. Accordingly, such individuals will not be considered for employment unless they are also a citizen of the United States.

If hired without a clearance and it subsequently becomes necessary to obtain and maintain one for the position, or you bid on positions that require a clearance, a pre-processing background review may be conducted prior to a required federal background investigation. Applicants for a DOE security clearance need to be U.S. citizens. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Members of the workforce (MOWs) hired at Sandia who require uncleared access for greater than 179 days during their employment, are required to go through the Uncleared Personal Identity Verification (UPIV) process. Access includes physical and/or cyber (logical) access, as well as remote access to any NNSA information technology (IT) systems. UPIV requirements are not applicable to individuals who require a DOE personnel security clearance for the performance of their SNL employment or to foreign nationals. The UPIV process will include the completion of a USAccess Enrollment, SF-85 (Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions) and OF-306 (Declaration of for Federal Employment). An unfavorable UPIV determination will result in immediate retrieval of the SNL issued badge, removal of cyber (logical) access and/or removal from SNL subcontract. All MOWs may appeal the unfavorable UPIV determination to DOE/NNSA immediately. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the MOW may try to go through the UPIV process one year after the decision date.

EEO:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.

Position Information:

This postdoctoral position is a temporary position for up to one year, which may be renewed at Sandia's discretion up to five additional years. The PhD must have been conferred within five years prior to employment.

Individuals in postdoctoral positions may bid on regular Sandia positions as internal candidates, and in some cases may be converted to regular career positions during their term if warranted by ongoing operational needs, continuing availability of funds, and satisfactory job performance.

Job ID: 697916

Job Family: 92

Regular/Temporary Position: T

Full/Part-Time Status: F