National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducts world-class research in energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, renewable energy technologies, and energy systems integration and optimization. Nestled in the foothills of Golden, Colorado, and convenient to Denver, Boulder, and several suburbs, the NREL campus is a living experiment filled with curious researchers and advanced energy technologies.
The successful candidate will work with an interdisciplinary team of experienced NREL researchers to support projects in the area of building science with a focus on enhancing cost-effective solutions for transforming energy use in residential buildings. Project and task assignments will depend on experience but will focus primarily on leading or supporting laboratory and field experimentation and research. Elements of the projects may include developing scopes of work, developing and reviewing experimental plans, overseeing and/or conducting experiments in laboratory or field settings.
We seek an exceptionally curious engineer with experience and background in building science research and experimentation who thoroughly understands building systems integration and “house as a system” concepts. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of airflow, heat transfer, and moisture transport in buildings, mechanical system performance, experimental design, and measurement and monitoring, as well as the ability to analyze and interpret data, draw evidence-based conclusions and publish results. Candidates with interest and/or experience in the rapidly evolving areas of buildings-to-grid, smart homes, energy storage, and sensors & controls are preferred.
Organizationally, this position resides in the Residential Buildings Research Group within the Buildings and Thermal Systems Center (BTSC). BTSC and NREL are committed to fostering a creative, curiosity-driven, inclusive workplace, and to supporting and mentoring research staff as they progress from task execution to principal investigator and beyond.
Job duties and responsibilities may include:
Developing and reviewing experimental plans.
Leading and supporting experiments in laboratory and/or field settings.
Setting up measurement and monitoring equipment and associated sensors.
Analyzing measurement and monitoring data.
Writing papers for peer-reviewed science journals and professional conferences.
Basic Qualifications: PhD in engineering field or related. Or, Master's Degree in engineering field or related and 3 or more years of research/engineering experience. Or, Bachelor's Degree in engineering field or related and 5 or more years of research/engineering experience.
Additional Qualifications:
Strong background in engineering, physics, or related fields.
Strong understanding of building science principles and residential building system integration issues.
Demonstrated experience designing and conducting building science experiments in lab and/or field settings.
Demonstrated ability to write technical reports and journal articles documenting research.
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