We have an opening for a highly qualified and motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Automated Alignment team. This team develops, sustains, and improves the operational software that automatically aligns NIF laser systems prior to experiments. The role is primarily focused on computer vision and image processing, with software engineering and machine learning serving as important secondary skill sets to improve robustness, performance, and maintainability.
You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers working on innovative solutions that improve performance, supporting NIF Operations, maintaining and improving legacy capabilities, and analyzing and troubleshooting off-normal conditions in an operational environment. This position is in the Computational Engineering Division (CED), within the Engineering Directorate.
This position offers a hybrid schedule, blending in-person and virtual presence. You will have the flexibility to work from home one or more days per week, when consistent with team and operational needs.
You will
- Research, design, develop, test, and maintain computer vision and image processing algorithms used for automated alignment of high energy laser systems.
- Develop and sustain production software that supports NIF Operations, including maintaining and improving legacy codebases.
- Analyze and troubleshoot off-normal system behavior, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions in collaboration with domain experts.
- Apply modern machine learning techniques where appropriate to improve robustness of image processing, estimation, or classification workflows.
- Follow production-level software engineering practices, including:
- participation in technical requirements and design reviews
- code reviews and adherence to coding standards
- configuration management and traceability
- continuous integration, automated testing, and quality practices appropriate for operational software
- Collaborate with NIF Alignment and Laser stakeholders to integrate algorithms into operational workflows and validate performance against mission needs.
- Document software, algorithms, testing approaches, and operational procedures to support long-term sustainment and knowledge transfer.
- Pursue research and publication activities that complement operational deliverables and advance computer vision and automation methods.
- Present results at internal reviews, seminars, and scientific meetings, and publish in peer-reviewed venues as appropriate.
- Perform other duties as needed.