The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), located in SE Idaho, is a multi-program Department of Energy National Laboratory performing basic and applied research and technology development in support of DOE’s Environmental Restoration, Waste Management, and Nuclear Energy missions. The INEEL has established a major initiative in Subsurface Science research and development to evaluate and understand fundamental biogeochemical and transport processes occurring in heterogeneous subsurface environments. The INEEL is currently seeking expressions of interest from qualified candidates for the following positions.

Subsurface Science Initiative Science Director:

The primary responsibility for the Science Director will be to expand the laboratories current scientific capabilities into an internationally recognized center for conducting subsurface environmental science. This research will be in support of the Department of Energy’s multi-disciplined subsurface science programs as well as the Department’s broad and varied customer base. It is expected that the selected candidate will be a Science Fellow at the laboratory.

The preferred candidate will be nationally recognized with a Ph.D in an environmental science discipline and have an extensive track record in developing and managing significant research programs related to subsurface science. Disciplines of interest include geology, geophysics, hydrogeology, vadose zone geology, geochemistry, and subsurface microbiology. An additional benefit would be the applicant’s experience in applying their subsurface expertise in the area of environmental management. The successful candidate will have a distinguished record of scientific publications, aptitude for administration of an integrated research program, demonstrated leadership and organizational skills, and the ability to facilitate research with organizations outside of the INEEL.

The INEEL is also seeking nationally or internationally recognized experts in each of the following core scientific disciplines. It is expected that the selected candidates will be hired as Science Fellows and will have wide latitude to develop research programs within the context of the overarching goals and vision of the program. Candidates will hold a Ph.D, have an extensive peer reviewed publication record in fundamental or applied research, demonstrated success in securing external funding through peer reviewed competition, and experience managing large, collaborative programs. The candidates must also have demonstrated success in assembling and directing interdisciplinary research teams. Responsibilities include developing strategic and tactical plans for building and maintaining business in their area of responsibility; developing and maintaining strong working relationships, and facilitating partnerships and support from the Department of Energy, other Federal and State agencies, industry, and academia; assisting the INEEL Lab Director, DOE, and the Subsurface Science Initiative Director in pursuing and maintaining line item actions; and managing interdisciplinary, multi-institutional subsurface science research with the goal of attaining national and international recognition in subsurface science R&D.

Geosciences

The overarching research objectives in geosciences will be to understand and quantify, at the field scale, transformation rates in the subsurface. This will necessitate pursuing research at multiple scales of investigation including micro-scale, meso-scale, and field scale to 1) understand and quantify the relationship of water and contaminant movement in the subsurface using non-invasive techniques, 2) evaluate biological transformations using stable isotope geochemistry, 3) understand spatial variability in the subsurface, 4) apply scaling theory to environmental problems, 5) understand and conceptualize hydrologic and soil physics phenomena, and 6) understand biogeochemical interactions and spatial heterogeneity. The ideal candidate will hold a Ph.D in hydrology (with emphasis in vadose processes), soil physics, geochemistry or closely related field. The candidate should have extensive experience in research dealing with physico-chemical processes in the vadose zone, with particular emphasis on understanding water and contaminant movement and the processes affecting such interaction. Experience conducting meso scale investigations to understand coupling of these processes is desirable.

Subsurface environmental research in the biological discipline will focus on the interactions between microbes, surface minerals and contaminants. This will require development of in-situ molecular biology approaches to evaluate organisms in the subsurface, their metabolic capabilities, and their rates of metabolism. In addition, this research component will require the development of instrumentation/analytical capabilities to assess chemical signatures of microbial transformations.

The ideal candidate will possess a Ph.D degree in microbial ecology, microbial physiology, geomicrobiology, biogeochemistry, or closely related field. The candidate should have extensive experience in research dealing with microbial processes under natural conditions. Background and experience working in ground water, soil, geologic systems, or extreme environments is desired. In addition, the preferred candidate will have extensive training and experience in molecular microbiology with demonstrated application of molecular approaches to understanding microbial processes in natural environments.

The subsurface modeling effort will focus on; developing analytical (mathematical) expressions for coupled processes that are being investigated in the subsurface, using finite element code development to utilize the mathematical models, and implementation of parallel processing of the mathematical models and codes.

The ideal candidate will possess a Ph.D. degree in computational hydrology, geostatistics, stochastic hydrology, or closely related field. The candidate should have extensive experience in research dealing with scaling issues associated with subsurface processes and demonstrated knowledge in development of analytical expressions, finite code development, and parallel code development. Background and experience working in soil or geologic systems and an understanding of biologic interactions with geochemistry and fluid dynamics is required.

Subsurface environmental research in chemistry will focus on the mechanisms of accumulation of inorganic species on mineral surfaces. Of particular interest are surface reactions of fission product and actinide ions, colloids, and particles on silicate surfaces similar to those found in the vadose zone. Research will include 1) characterization of actinide and fission product species on mineral surfaces, 2) measurement of binding energies between mineral surfaces and fission product and actinide ions and colloidal particles, 3) computational chemistry and modeling to aid in the understanding of the mechanism of surface contamination and transport, and 4) subsurface barriers and filters for migrating subsurface chemical contaminants.

The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D in geochemistry or a related branch of chemistry and must have extensive experience in research on the chemistry of mineral processes. Background and experience with fission product and actinide ion binding to mineral surfaces is highly desirable.

Subsurface environmental research in the physics discipline will focus on the characterization challenges associated with multiple scales of investigation that will complement traditional field based geoscience and laboratory based biochemistry investigations. Characterization technology development needs range from subsurface fluid flow to interfacial biochemistry. A materials science emphasis will be placed on characterization of geologic media such as geomedia fracture mechanics and developing an understanding of the effect of microscopic properties on macroscopic transport.

The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in physics, geology, chemistry, or engineering, with background and experience working with subsurface environments.

Qualified candidates are invited to send their CV, along with a cover letter detailing their scientific, administrative, and leadership qualifications to:

Subsurface Science Initiative