NESAP for Simulations Postdoctoral Fellow

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Job description

The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center ( NERSC ) at Berkeley Lab seeks highly motivated postdocs to join the NERSC Exascale Science Application Program ( NESAP ). NESAP postdocs collaborate with scientific teams to enable the solution of deep, meaningful problems across all program areas funded by the Department of Energy Office of Science.

*Attention: This is a posting for the NESAP for Simulations Postdoc position. For NESAP for Data go here: and for NESAP for Learning go here:

NERSC provides world-class supercomputing, high performance, scalable data systems and services to 7000 users across more than 600 projects running 800 different codes. NERSC's science impact is acknowledged by over 2000 publications per year.

The Challenge: Enabling advanced simulation and modeling at scale on energy-efficient supercomputers. In 2020, NERSC will begin deploying its first production heterogeneous CPU/GPU-based Cray supercomputer, "Perlmutter." Perlmutter, a system optimized for science, includes future-generation AMD CPUs, next-generation NVIDIA GPUs, a high-speed interconnect, and an all-flash file system. Many codes running at NERSC must be adapted or optimized to run efficiently on GPUs, and solutions that put GPU performance in the hands of users must be portable ones. NESAP is about employing cutting-edge computational science techniques and advanced performance analysis tools to develop highly scalable, distributed parallel algorithms to meet this challenge.

Cutting-edge simulation of complex physical phenomena requires increasing amounts of computational resources due to increasing model sizes, parameter space searches, and inclusion of additional physics for higher fidelity. N4S enables simulations to make effective use of modern high-performance computing (HPC) platforms by focusing on algorithm and data structure development and implementation on new architectures such as GPUs, exposing additional parallelism and improving scalability.

As a NESAP Fellow, you will be a part of a multidisciplinary team composed of computational and domain scientists working together to transition and optimize codes to the Perlmutter system and produce mission-relevant science that pushes the limits of HPC. You will carry out code transition efforts in collaboration with a project PI and team members with the support of NERSC and vendor staff. Successful candidates are expected to collaborate with each other across NESAP applications and program areas.

Specific Responsibilities:

Successful candidates will have one or more of the following responsibilities:

• Work with NERSC staff and code teams to transition and optimize simulation, data analytics, or machine learning codes for the Perlmutter system in performance-portable ways.
• Conduct profiling and scaling studies as well as parallelization, memory bandwidth, and I/O analyses for these codes; identify and capitalize on NERSC's combined HPC/data ecosystems.

All postdocs will have the responsibility to:

• Disseminate results of research activities through refereed publications, reports, and conference presentations. Ensure that new methods are documented for the broader community, NERSC staff, vendors, and NERSC users.
• Participation in postdoctoral career and science enrichment activities within the Berkeley Lab Computing Sciences Area is encouraged.
• Opportunities to travel to sites at other labs, universities, and to vendor facilities.

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Computational Science, Data Science, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or a science domain area with a computationally-oriented research focus including but not limited to Physics, Engineering, etc.
• Research experience and knowledge in computing and/or code development for HPC, algorithm design or applied mathematics.
• Demonstrably effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work productively both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team balancing objectives involving research and code development.

Additional Desired Qualifications:

General

• Experience with the development and performance optimization of scientific software in the HPC context.
• Publication record or contributions to open source software projects commensurate with years of experience.
• Experience with GPU and parallel/manycore computer architectures, threading, and vectorization.
• Experience with numerical linear algebra, particle methods, or grid methods
• Experience with C, C++, Fortran, MPI, threading, or data structure transformations.

To be considered applications must include:

• A Cover Letter: Include a cover letter introducing yourself, your application, and describing your interest in the program. Please be sure to highlight which NESAP projects interest you most.
• Curriculum Vitae/Resume: Either an academic CV or a resume is acceptable. Be sure to highlight technical skills, interests, and synergistic activities relevant to the position and to NERSC.
• List of Publications: A list of publications is encouraged. Links to software projects, public code repositories, and other non-standard career metrics are welcome!
• 3 References: Provide contact information for three professional references with whom we may communicate regarding your work and your application.

Notes:

• This is a full time 1 year postdoctoral appointment with the possibility of renewal based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds and ongoing operational needs. You must have less than 3 years paid postdoctoral experience. Salary for Postdoctoral positions depends on years of experience post-degree.
• This position is represented by a union for collective bargaining purposes.
• Salary will be predetermined based on postdoctoral step rates.
• Work will be primarily performed at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA.

NESAP has established a track record of enabling its postdocs to pursue careers in data science, HPC, and scientific computing both in industry and at national labs. Take a look at what current and former NESAP postdocs are up to here.

Berkeley Lab addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Based on University of California Policy - SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program and U.S Federal Government requirements, Berkeley Lab requires that all members of our community obtain the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible. As a condition of employment at Berkeley Lab, all Covered Individuals must Participate in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program by providing proof of Full Vaccination or submitting a request for Exception or Deferral. Visit covid.lbl.gov for more information.

Berkeley Lab is committed to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) and strives to continue building community with these shared values and commitments. Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We heartily welcome applications from women, minorities, veterans, and all who would contribute to the Lab's mission of leading scientific discovery, inclusion, and professionalism. In support of our diverse global community, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

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