Power System Protection Researcher

Requisition Id 5744

The Power Systems Resilience Group (PSR) within the Electrification and Energy Infrastructures Division (EEID) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking to fill a Senior R&D Staff position to work in the area of power system protection research and development. Selection will be based on qualifications, relevant experience, skills, and education.

PSR Group R&D supports DOE’s Office of Electricity (OE), Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) initiatives on: electric grid resilience and reliability; grid modeling and analysis; integration of new technologies; and identifying and validating new ways of using existing grid assets to ensure grid reliability, grid resilience, environmental stewardship, and affordability of energy supplies. PSR conducts modeling, analysis and R&D specifically related to the grid and applies PSR’s expertise to other technologies and generation assets, such as hydropower, to develop and evaluate options and methodologies for operations, dispatch, and planning.

The successful Senior R&D candidate will be responsible for conducting research and managing research projects supporting PSR Group activities focused on transmission, substation and distribution system protective relaying and protection engineering. The selected candidate will lead the expansion of R&D in the PSR Group to take advantage of our multidisciplinary capabilities, multimodal strengths, and unique tools and capabilities. The candidate should be a proven thought leader in developing new power system protection methods for existing and future power delivery systems incorporating large amounts of renewable generation. The candidate is expected to work in support of other ORNL staff and to offer career guidance and mentoring to junior staff. They will be expected to network and develop collaborative R&D with other groups and divisions internally at ORNL as well as with the DOE and industry. There will be frequent interactions with DOE sponsors in pursuit of new research funding.

Basic Qualifications:

• Requires a Ph.D. (Electrical / Mechanical Engineering are preferred) with a minimum of 6 years relevant experience, a M.S. with a minimum of 12 years of experience, or a B.S. with 15 years of experience.
• Successful candidates should have an excellent quantitative and analytical research background which can be applied to conduct research analysis on advanced grid resilience and reliability technologies, operational concepts, and future needs to achieve transformative changes in defining the grid of the future.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to make presentations to sponsors, industry organizations, and National Laboratories and to prepare reports, proposals, and publications/journal articles is required.
• Strong interpersonal skills to support team building and leadership in addition to a strong commitment to scientific integrity.
• An educational background in power systems is preferable, with an emphasis on system protection.
• The candidate should possess strong analytical capabilities with experience in power system protection.
• The candidate should be familiar with electricity production and delivery technologies and capable of conducting technology assessments.
• A strong network of contacts within the electric power industry and experience working collaborative with diverse types of stakeholders is desirable.
• The ability to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Thorough understanding of utility power delivery systems along with extensive knowledge in area of power system protection.
• Power systems engineering experience as an employee of a major electric utility or equipment vendor is desired.
• Experience in research.
• Demonstrated ability to manage project schedules, scopes, and budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to be a motivating force in a technical team including the ability to provide coaching and mentoring to junior members of technical staff as well as thought leadership to senior/prestigious researchers.
• A history of leadership in program development is also desired.
• WIllingness to travel.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.