Summary
The National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in High-Performance Computing (HPC) system architecture and intelligent storage design. The successful candidate will contribute to research and development efforts in scalable storage and memory architectures, telemetry-driven system optimization, and application-driven performance analysis for HPC, scientific Artificial Intelligence (AI), and scientific edge computing. This position is within the Technology Integration group at NCCS.
Postdoctoral Research Associate: HPC System Architecture at ORNL, US
Designation
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Job Overview Table
| Parameter | Details |
| Organization | Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) |
| Division / Group | National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) – Technology Integration Group |
| Requisition ID | 16766 |
| Date Posted | July 13, 2026 |
| Location | Oak Ridge, TN, US, 37830 |
| Appointment Duration | Up to 24 months (with potential for extension based on performance and funding) |
| Special Requirement | Ability to obtain and maintain an HSPD-12 PIV badge |
Research Area
Specific areas of research interest include:
- Telemetry Collection & Analysis: Telemetry collection and analysis to inform system optimization, workload characterization, and predictive fault tolerance in HPC systems.
- Memory Architectures: Architectural exploration and performance modeling of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and DDR memory systems in the context of data-intensive scientific computing.
- Intelligent Storage Redesign: Redesign of storage systems to meet evolving demands in AI/ML and edge-to-HPC workflows, including support for data movement, retention policies, and user-defined storage behaviors.
Location
Oak Ridge, Tennessee (TN), US, 37830
Eligibility / Qualification
Basic Qualifications
- A Ph.D. in computer science/engineering or a relevant area with an educational and research track record in HPC, AI, edge systems, and storage research within the past five years.
- Applicants cannot have received their Ph.D. more than five years prior to the date of application and must complete all degree requirements before starting their appointment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ability to work independently to design and deploy methods at scale.
- Familiarity with hardware-software co-design, memory hierarchies (DDR, HBM), and system-level telemetry tools.
- Experience in HPC and associated software development for applications, middleware, and/or system software.
- Flexibility to adapt to diverse R&D projects and tasks.
- Effective communication skills in both verbal and written forms.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with scientists, engineers, and sponsors.
- Interest in mentoring student internships.
Job Description (Major Duties & Responsibilities)
- Collaborate with internal and external researchers on a variety of data and storage-related research projects for use cases in HPC, scientific AI, and scientific edge computing.
- Conduct I/O and storage performance characterization of HPC and scientific AI applications or libraries on multi-tier HPC storage systems.
- Collect, analyze, and leverage telemetry data from HPC systems to support data-driven design decisions and performance tuning.
- Explore trade-offs in DDR and HBM usage patterns, and propose architectural improvements for mixed-memory and bandwidth-intensive workloads.
- Design and evaluate ephemeral, user-configurable, and composable data and storage systems.
- Design system-level approaches for time-sensitive or data-intensive processing of data originating at scientific edge systems using large-scale HPC/AI computational and storage systems.
- Coauthor peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and presentations.
- Seek membership and service opportunities in professional, academic, and research organizations.
How to Apply
- Apply online directly through the ORNL Careers Page.
- Submit your resume/CV in Word (
.doc,.docx), Adobe unsecured PDF (.pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or HTML (.htm,.html) format, up to 5MB in size. - Note: Resumes from third-party vendors will not be accepted.
- If you have difficulty using the online system or need accommodations due to a disability, email
ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.
Last Date for Apply
- This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after posting (July 13, 2026) and will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired. Candidates are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible.
