The DTRA Postdoctoral Scholars Program is hosted by the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI) at the Johns Hopkins University. This program supports the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in their Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) mission by recruiting, hiring, and placing postdoctoral scholars in the areas of DTRA’s nuclear technologies division: survivability, integration, detection, weapons effects, and assessment.
Current openings
POSITION SUMMARY
The DTRA Nuclear Survivability Postdoctoral Fellow will advance research and development (R&D) efforts to provide technologies, standards, historical data, and testing capabilities to ensure that U.S. nuclear and conventional forces survive and fight through adversary nuclear attacks. Post-Doctoral Fellows assist in the development of research topics and programs, monitoring and evaluating, research efforts, and transitioning promising technologies. Depending on expertise and mission alignment, candidates may be directly involved in applied research, modeling, and analysis efforts. This is not a lab research position. Depending on expertise and interest, the Nuclear Survivability Postdoctoral Fellow may be involved in a range of projects, including developing nuclear survivability standards and test methods, operational system vulnerability assessments and verification, advancing radiation-resistant microelectronics, materials, and optics, developing next-generation experimental facilities to test nuclear survivability, and furthering our understanding of human survivability.
EXPERIENCE DESIRED
Those with strong quantitative skills and excellent communication abilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants should hold a PhD or be within 6 months of obtaining a PhD in a science or an engineering discipline, such as (but not limited to) electrical engineering, materials science, nuclear physics or engineering, chemistry, or health physics. A multidisciplinary background is highly desirable. Experience in areas such as nuclear physics, plasma physics, high energy density physics, micro/nanoelectronics, pulsed power, radiation effects, radiation transport, or systems engineering, or related fields, would be beneficial. Familiarity with modeling and simulation tools would be particularly applicable. Both experimental and theoretical specialists are welcome to apply, but candidates must be open to learning and applying concepts beyond their primary area of expertise.
ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS
• Candidate must be a US citizen.
• Candidates must be able to obtain a SECRET level security clearance.
• Candidates must pass a drug screen/background check
Location: Fort Belvoir, VA
(applicants must be willing to relocate to greater Washington, DC area).
Scholars will:
• Learn first-hand from operators in the field about state-of-the-art technology,
• Translate complex national security needs into basic research and development requirements,
• Provide technical programmatic oversight, and
• Actualize innovative ideas and solutions in CWMD mission space.
A unique postdoctoral experience
DTRA Postdoctoral Scholars serve a term of 1-3 years. During this time, they work directly with DTRA research and development program managers to support the CWMD mission. Divisions include nuclear technologies, CWMD technologies, data integration and analysis, chemical-biological sciences, and test science.
Preparing postdocs for the future
The goal of this postdoctoral program is to develop highly technical candidates into experts at providing technical, program management, and/or acquisition support to the government. A day in the life of a scholar includes reviewing white papers and proposals, attending conferences, supporting technical reviews and workshops, research requirement development, and programmatic support.
Postdoctoral scholars typically do not pursue their own research. Scholars guide and support the technical direction of extensive scientific research and development portfolios.
Eligibility requirements
- Candidates must be a U.S. citizen.
- Candidates must be able to obtain a SECRET level security clearance.
- Candidates must have a doctoral degree
(students who will have degree conferred within six months are encouraged to apply). - Location: Fort Belvoir, VA
(applicants must be willing to relocate to greater Washington, DC area).
Apply today
Interested candidates should click here to apply.
Available disciplines
A successful candidate in the DTRA Postdoctoral Scholars Program will have a physical science or engineering doctoral degree. Available disciplines may include Nuclear Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics (Laser, Nuclear, Shock, Condensed Matter, Plasma, Atomic, Molecular, and Optical), Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Modeling and Simulation, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Chemistry, and Radiation Detection, though other disciplines may be considered.
DTRA’s Nuclear Technologies Department
DTRA’s Nuclear Technologies research program traces back to the Manhattan Project. Postdocs will support the department’s mission to research, develop, and transition nuclear weapons effects, survivability, detection, and monitoring capabilities to support and enable an effective nuclear deterrent.
Positions are available in the following NT department divisions:
- Detection Technologies – Equip the joint force to detect, monitor, characterize, provide attribution, and operate effectively on the nuclear battlefield and defeat nuclear threat networks
- Nuclear Weapons Effects – Deliver nuclear weapons effects applications that enable effective targeting of U.S. nuclear weapons and inform protection and response against adversary nuclear attacks
- Nuclear Survivability – Provide the technologies, standards, historical data, and testing capabilities to ensure that U.S. nuclear and conventional forces can survive and fight through adversary nuclear attacks
- Nuclear Assessments – Develop the capability to test concepts, capabilities, and plans through rigorous assessment and wargaming to support nuclear requirements definition, operational planning and training. Manages the operation, sustainment, and improvements to the U.S. portion of the International Monitoring System
- Nuclear Technologies Integration – Deliver integrated, cloud-ready, cross-cutting platform, applications, and data analysis AI-enhanced capabilities to support the full spectrum of nuclear operations, wargaming, and assessments
