Research Engineer, Civil Engineering

The Research Engineer is part of the Civil Engineering Department in the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt University. This key individual contributor is responsible for research related to three existing work scopes within the Nuclear Environmental Engineering Group (NEERG) at Vanderbilt University. These work scopes include: (1) two projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy related to investigating process optimization to achieve consent-based siting of a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) for spent nuclear fuel (SNF); (2) existing and future projects for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) related to safety analysis and performance characterization of advanced nuclear fission reactors; and (3) collaboration with the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP) to investigate risk-informed decision-making processes that can be integrated into existing U.S. DOE design and safety analysis frameworks

Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as a deputy technical project to aggregate, analyze, and synthesize data regarding public sentiments toward the engagements performed as part of siting, licensing and operation of existing commercial independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs) to inform future consent-based siting efforts for a federal CIS
• Serve as deputy technical project to engage communities surrounding DOE sites currently storing defense- and research-related SNF to foster mutual learning on best and worst practices in community and Tribal participation in risk-informed decision-making and to develop and test new decision-making methods based on this learning
• Coordinate meetings and strategies between project partners, organize public engagements, reporting project progress to DOE-NE, technically evaluating project deliverables
• Assist in sociodemographic data mapping, creating resources for knowledge sharing, deliberation and values assessment, and working with communities to develop and test novel community-scale decision-making methods
• Develop and/or review advanced reactor system safety analyses created using process hazards analysis (PHA) methods
• Assisting in the development of methodologies for and reviewing the results of applying model-based systems engineering methods to advanced reactor design
• Technical assistance in ongoing projects related to performance characterization of liquids fuels and wastes for MSRs.
• Collaboration with CRESP to develop guidance for U.S. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) regarding the need to integrate risk-informed methods into safety and design decision-making
• Research into quantitative risk-informed decision-making methods used in other industries
• Characterize the regulatory and technical differences between these industries and DOE-EM
• Developing tailored methods for integrating quantitative risk insights into DOE-EM decision-making
• Performing case studies on relevant facilities using the established methodology.

Supervisory Relationships: This position does not have supervisory responsibility and reports administratively and functionally to the PI for Consent-Based Siting Projects and PI of EPRI Advanced Reactor Projects.

Qualifications

• A Master’s Degree in Engineering is required.
• A PhD in Science or Engineering is strongly preferred.
• Between 2 - 4 years of experience in safety analysis and stakeholder interface activities is required.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills working with diverse individuals and strong written and oral communication skills are required.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are.  We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education. 

Vanderbilt University is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.