ORNL postdoc hires in Mobility and Energy Transitions Analysis (META)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate who will support the Mobility and Energy Transitions Analysis (META) Group within the Buildings and Transportation Science Division (BTSD), Energy Science and Technology Directorate (ESTD). The Postdoctoral Research Associate will work in (1) transportation-energy analysis and modeling and (2) integrated energy systems modeling. The META group’s research focuses on how technological, socio-economic, and policy drivers related to transportation and energy may involve into the future and, by extension, what the resulting impacts may be for climate, environment, and the broader suite of sustainable development objectives, including social justice and equity and human welfare. A theme that sets this group apart from others is an attention to the question: “How do we get from here to there?”, where ‘there’ is an equitable net zero emissions world. The group’s remit covers not only technology and the environment but also the socio-cultural, institutional, and economic dimensions inherent in pathways toward national and global energy sustainability. This concept is best captured in the META keyword ‘TRANSITIONS’, emphasizing the long-term (multi-decadal) evolution of transport and energy systems in national, sub-national, and international contexts.
For additional information on the META Group, visit this page.
The META Group is comprised of both senior and junior researchers, and it maintains strong collaborations with researchers in numerous other groups within ORNL as well as across the broader scientific ecosystem throughout the U.S. and world.
Major Duties/Responsibilities:
The selected candidate will research the drivers and impacts of transportation and energy innovations, such as electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, automated vehicles, and shared mobility, on the path toward an equitable net zero emissions world. The candidate will contribute to furthering the META group’s (and its stakeholders’) collective understanding of how to transition from the current fossil fuel-based transportation efficiently, effectively, and equitably-energy system to one that is more sustainable, more decarbonized, more socially equitable, and more energy-diverse. The candidate will join the group at a dynamic time, with numerous opportunities for pursuing stimulating and impactful research in a variety of areas.
