Researcher: EMT Modeling, Simulation and Analysis for Large-Scale Power Systems

Researcher: EMT Modeling, Simulation and Analysis for Large-Scale Power Systems at National Laboratory of the Rockies

Join the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado, the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development. NREL fosters a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories, offering robust professional development and a competitive benefits package.

About the Role

The Grid Automation and Control (GAC) Group of the Power Systems and Engineering Center (PSEC) at NREL is seeking an exceptional individual to advance electromagnetic transient (EMT) modeling and simulation of the power grid. This role is crucial as the power grid transitions to a modern grid with increasing growth of load and inverter-based resources (IBRs). The successful candidate will join a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative team of engineers, analysts, and software developers focused on developing state-of-the-art energy system modeling techniques and software for breakthrough engineering and techno-economic analysis of the emerging future electric grid and broader interconnected energy systems (transportation, buildings, gas, communication/controls, and beyond).

PSEC supports the U.S. Department of Energy, NREL, and industry partners, conducting high-impact research and development to provide practical solutions to grid design and integration challenges. The team uniquely combines advanced research techniques with real-world experience for achieving sustainable electricity grids.

The Researcher: EMT Modeling, Simulation and Analysis for Large-Scale Power Systems will develop cutting-edge EMT modeling, simulation, and analysis technologies for the future modern power grid. Candidates should possess solid power system modeling expertise, including power system networks, loads, and dynamic electrical components like synchronous generators and inverter-based resources, to develop next-generation EMT simulators. A passion for exploring the future modern power grids in terms of stability, reliability, and resilience is essential.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Modeling of power systems in various EMT-domain simulation platforms such as PSCAD, RSCAD, or ParaEMT.
• Conduct EMT studies of the power system to address stability challenges for utility partners.
• Development of next-generation EMT Simulator and acceleration technologies.
• Maintain/enhance existing NREL simulation testbeds/platforms/tools for testing innovative research ideas.
• Prepare results in the form of reports and presentations.
• Write and publish results of analyses in peer-reviewed journals, transactions, conference proceedings, and/or technical reports.

Qualifications

This is a hybrid position, combining in-person work at the South Table Mountain Campus in Golden, CO, with work-from-home days.

Basic Qualifications:

• Researcher II: Relevant Master's Degree; or relevant Bachelor's Degree and 2+ years of experience.
• Researcher III: Relevant PhD; or relevant Master's Degree and 3+ years of experience; or relevant Bachelor's Degree and 5+ years of experience.
• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications:

• Relevant Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science or related fields, or a relevant Master's Degree and required years of relevant experience.
• Strong background in power systems modeling and simulation.
• Strong expertise in EMT modeling and simulation (e.g., PSCAD, EMTP, RTDS, Hypersim, or similar platforms).
• Solid understanding of inverter-based resources, power electronics, and system protection.
• Strong programming skills (e.g., Python, C/C++, Julia).

For Researcher III (all above qualifications plus):

• Demonstrated leadership in one or more areas of team, task, or project responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience in project management and ability to execute with a high degree of independence.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with large-scale power system simulation and model reduction techniques.
• Hands-on experience with EMT/Phasor-domain-based power system transient simulator development.
• Knowledge of parallel and distributed computing for EMT simulations.
• Experience with software development in Python, C++, or other programming languages.
• Familiarity with GPU acceleration of numerical solvers, parallel sparse matrix operations, or time-domain simulations is a plus.
• Knowledge of modern GPU hardware and architectures is a plus.
• Experience with commercial software development and GUI development is a plus.
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.

Key skills/competency

• EMT Modeling
• Power System Simulation
• Inverter-Based Resources
• Power Electronics
• System Protection
• PSCAD/EMTP/RTDS
• Python/C++/Julia Programming
• Grid Stability Analysis
• Large-Scale Power Systems
• Distributed Computing