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.
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DTRA is currently seeking US Citizen candidates for a postdoctoral scholar position. The job location is in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area.
The Scholars Program was designed to utilize mission-critical expertise possessed by highly qualified subject matter experts in DTRA’s mission to combat and respond to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferation and use. The position will support research activities to improve methods for understanding the mathematical modeling of effects on critical infrastructure networks.
Candidates should have a Ph.D. or equivalent in physics, mathematical physics, computational engineering physics, or applied mathematics. Preferred skills may include PDEs/ODEs, numerical analysis, computational physics, FEM, FDM, CFD, Monte Carlo, pure mathematics, and/or mathematical physics.
Proficiency in the following areas are of interest: PDE/ODE theory and/or mathematical physics. Candidates should be flexible and willing to learn/review new concepts beyond their specialty.
This is not primarily a bench research position within a lab, but is mostly focused on support of applied research and program/project creation and management/assessment. The following are emphasized: (1) depth of analytic thinking to identify critical research needs and opportunities; and, (2) follow-up assessment of investments in applied research efforts to foster success of the portfolio. The successful candidate will help implement new ideas into development of research tools, review proposals and scientific progress, and support funding oversight. Program success is achieved by increasing innovative knowledge needed for understanding nuclear weapon effects on infrastructure, followed by fostering transition of basic research to applied research and development.
The successful applicant must be a US citizen capable of obtaining a security clearance, and be willing to re-locate to the Washington DC metropolitan area. The appointment will be for a one-year period with a possibility of renewal. To apply, please submit a cover letter and CV or resume. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Applications and Impacts Post-Doctoral Fellow will support research and development in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Nuclear Technologies Department (NT) within the DTRA Research and Development Directorate (RD). The mission of the division is to deliver applications for nuclear operations, provide wargaming and experimentation tools for nuclear environments, and support these from a common architecture of nuclear modeling and simulation enabling technologies to inform decision-makers and planning. NTI is the Nation’s experts on nuclear weapons employment and the consequences of use.​
The post-doctoral fellow will apply physics, engineering, and advanced computational techniques, such as machine learning and data science, to provide technical subject matter expertise supporting the development of new studies, modeling and simulation, and algorithms. The Post-Doctoral Fellow will work along with the Division Chief and research managers in the Nuclear Applications and Impacts Division (RD-NTI) and will be assigned a science Mentor within RD-NTI.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- This position is focused on support of DTRA program management for modeling and simulation software development.
- Investigate scientific or technological areas of interest under guidance of a Mentor.
- Learn program management processes and help the Government guide research investments.
- Interact with operational military units to understand their needs, limitations, and potential concepts for employing new technologies.
- Support the evaluation of technical proposals, research findings, and research topics.
- Be flexible at learning and reviewing concepts beyond a narrow specialty.
- Other duties and responsibilities may arise as the candidate’s experience matures.
EXPERIENCE DESIRED
- Knowledge in areas of physics, or engineering with a moderate understanding of data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence and the application of those tools to scientific problems.
- Data Science & Machine Learning: Advise program managers on the state-of-the-art application of data science and AI/ML, evaluating the technical merit of proposed algorithms and models to guide investment in next-generation wargaming and decision-support tools.
- Software Engineering: Assess proposed software architectures and development plans to ensure they produce robust, scalable, and interoperable applications that align with a common M&S framework and meet the operational needs of the warfighter.
- Numerical Physics & Engineering: Provide essential subject matter expertise by validating the scientific soundness of physics-based models in proposals and research, particularly for radiation detection, weapons effects, and consequence assessment.
- Ability to work in a highly complex environment, both individually and as part of a team, while showing initiative to learn about new scientific disciplines, think about new ways to solve a problem, and get involved in projects.
- Strong written and verbal communications.
EDUCATION REQUIRED
Candidates must have a STEM Ph.D. or equivalent in physics, numerical physics, data science, software engineering, engineering, computer science, mathematics, or a related area (students who will have degree conferred within six months are encouraged to apply).
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).
POTENTIAL CAREER PATHS
A postdoctoral position with DTRA/RD-NTI offers technical skills and training relevant to federal program management and may lead to potential career opportunities such as:
- Government Program Manager
- Government Researcher
- Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) or Systems Engineering Technical Advisory (SETA) contractor supporting federal agencies
- Department of Defense or Department of Energy contract scientist/researcher
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).
Salary
$100,000 per year with a $10,000 increase once security clearance is received.
Apply today
Interested candidates should use the button at the top of this page or 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.
DTRA’s Nuclear Technologies Department includes the following divisions:
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
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
