Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has turned bold ideas into world-changing impact advancing science and technology to strengthen U.S. security and promote global stability. 

Our mission spans four critical national security areas nuclear deterrence, threat preparedness, energy security, and multi-domain defense empowering teams to take on the toughest challenges of today and tomorrow. With a culture built on innovation and operational excellence, LLNL is a place where your expertise can make a real impact.

We have an opening for a Material Microstructure Modeler – Postdoctoral Researcher to conduct research in the analysis of microstructures of energetic materials. You will actively participate in a research group of material scientists and computational modelers and use cutting-edge AI/ML tools to develop summary features, decipher and quantify age-related changes, augment database with synthetic structures, perform grain-scale simulations, create surrogate models, and build process-structure-property-performance correlations. This position is in the Reaction Dynamics Group within the Energetic Materials & Design (EMD) section of the Materials Science Division, supporting the Energetic Materials Center (EMC).

This position requires full-time on-site presence due to the nature of the work.

You will 

• Contribute to the conception, design, and execution of computational modeling research to address defined problems involving energetic microstructures.
• Collaborate with experimentalists and modelers to tackle complex multiscale problems in energetics.
• Pursue independent but complementary research interests and interact with a broad spectrum of scientists both internal and external to the Laboratory.
• Present formal and informal overviews of research progress at regular meetings.
• Document research; write and publish papers in peer-reviewed journals, and present results within the DOE community, at working group meetings, and at conferences.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. Citizenship.
• Ph.D. in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or a related field.
• Experience in visualization, characterization, & analysis of heterogeneous microstructure with defects.
• Experience with AI/ML methods of generating synthetic microstructures.
• Experience simulating shocks in microstructures with defects.  
• Proficient verbal and written communication skills necessary to work in a multidisciplinary team environment, author technical and scientific reports and publications, and deliver scientific presentations
• Initiative and interpersonal skills with the desire and ability to work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment.

Qualifications We Desire

• Experience with energetic material microstructures.
• Experience using diffusion or GAN AI techniques for synthetic microstructure generation with defects. 
• Experience working in GPU- and Linux-based high performance computing environments.

Pay Range

$123,048 Annually

Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. Many factors are taken into consideration when setting starting pay including education, experience, the external labor market, and internal equity.

#LI-Onsite

Position Information

This is a Postdoctoral appointment with the possibility of extension to a maximum of three years, open to those who have been awarded a PhD at time of hire date.

Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory?

• Included in 2026 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor!
• Flexible Benefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
• Our values - visit https://www.llnl.gov/inclusion/our-values

Security Clearance

This position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance.  If you are selected, we will initiate a Federal background investigation to determine if you meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or matter. Also, all L or Q cleared employees are subject to random drug testing.  Q-level clearance requires U.S. citizenship. 

Pre-Employment Drug Test

External applicant(s) selected for this position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test. This includes testing for use of marijuana as Federal Law applies to us as a Federal Contractor.

Wireless and Medical Devices

Per the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory must meet certain restrictions with the use and/or possession of mobile devices in Limited Areas. Depending on your job duties, you may be required to work in a Limited Area where you are not permitted to have a personal and/or laboratory mobile device in your possession.  This includes, but not limited to cell phones, tablets, fitness devices, wireless headphones, and other Bluetooth/wireless enabled devices.  

If you use a medical device, which pairs with a mobile device, you must still follow the rules concerning the mobile device in individual sections within Limited Areas.  Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities require separate approval. Hearing aids without wireless capabilities or wireless that has been disabled are allowed in Limited Areas, Secure Space and Transit/Buffer Space within buildings.

How to identify fake job advertisements

Please be aware of recruitment scams where people or entities are misusing the name of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to post fake job advertisements. LLNL never extends an offer without a personal interview and will never charge a fee for joining our company. All current job openings are displayed on the Career Page under “Find Your Job” of our website. If you have encountered a job posting or have been approached with a job offer that you suspect may be fraudulent, we strongly recommend you do not respond.

To learn more about recruitment scams: https://www.llnl.gov/sites/www/files/2023-05/LLNL-Job-Fraud-Statement-Updated-4.26.23.pdf

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Reasonable Accommodation

Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory.  If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request. 

California Privacy Notice

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants privacy rights to all California residents. The law also entitles job applicants, employees, and non-employee workers to be notified of what personal information LLNL collects and for what purpose. The Employee Privacy Notice can be accessed here.