Job – PostDoc Researcher Geothermal Heating/ Cooling, NREL

Golden, Colorado campus of NREL (source: NREL)

The U.S.-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking applications for the position of Postdoctoral Researcher – Geothermal Heating/Cooling, located in Golden, Colorado.

The position is a fixed term, postdoc position.

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 eight employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

Job Description

The candidate will work with engineers and scientists in the Thermal Energy Science & Technologies Group within NREL’s Energy Conversion & Storage Systems Center. This person will join a growing geothermal research team that includes expertise in geochemistry, geology, drilling engineering, reservoir modeling, and geothermal exploration and development.

The recent GeoVision study, led by the NREL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office identified a large untapped opportunity for direct use of geothermal heat in applications such as geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) and district heating/cooling. As noted in NREL’s Geothermal Market Report (NREL/TP-5700-78291, July 2021) such systems are proliferating in Europe and elsewhere around the world but experiencing little deployment in the United States. The successful candidate will work with a team to explore and document opportunities for greater use of GHPs in the United States, especially where integrated with commercial or district heating and cooling systems. This work will include collaboration with NREL’s Building Technologies Center and others to understand the energy demand profile and may include use of building and district energy tools developed at NREL, e.g., URBANopt, REopt, Energy Plus, etc. Special focus will be given to understanding and enhancing the performance of the subsurface heat exchange process as a function of system design and local subsurface properties. The successful candidate must demonstrate experience with heat transfer and energy integration modeling.

Responsibilities include thorough and clear documentation of work in detailed technical records; writing, submission, presentation, and publication of peer-reviewed science; maintaining a clean and safe work space and conducting work with integrity and the highest professional standards.  

Basic Qualifications

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

Additional Required Qualifications

The candidate must demonstrate a research capability to solve challenging problems, and have excellent interpersonal, communication, writing and documentation skills. This position requires creativity, innovation, and adaptability.

Preferred Qualifications

Hands on experience with design, installation, or operations of ground-source heat pumps and/or district heating and cooling systems.

Source: NREL