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Postdoctoral Appointee – Mechanical Engineering

Argonne National Laboratory · Lemont, IL · $72,879–$121,465 a year · Full time

Posted Jan 14, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a constitutive model you implemented in a finite element code. What went wrong first?

What they are checking: Whether they have hands-on implementation experience, like writing a UMAT, and can debug it.

Tell me about a time you presented a technical result to people who disagreed with it.

What they are checking: Whether they can defend their work clearly at conferences and with code committees.

What would you do

Your model fits the test data well but predicts poorly beyond the tested time range. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they understand extrapolation risk, which is a major issue for long reactor lifetimes.

How would you validate a reliability method when real component failure data is rare?

What they are checking: Whether they can think creatively about validation with limited data.

About the work

How does creep crack growth differ from fatigue crack growth, and how would you model it at high temperature?

What they are checking: Whether they understand time-dependent fracture, which is central to this role.

Walk me through how you'd develop and calibrate a continuum damage mechanics model for a high-temperature alloy.

What they are checking: Whether they can build constitutive models from test data and know their limits.

How does ASME Section III Division 5 handle high-temperature design, and where do you think it is too conservative or not conservative enough?

What they are checking: Whether they know the design codes well enough to critique and improve them.

How would you combine a damage model with a statistical reliability model to predict component failure probability?

What they are checking: Whether they can connect deterministic mechanics to uncertainty and reliability.

How do you use Python in your research workflow?

What they are checking: Whether their coding skills are practical enough for model building and data analysis.

Compare R5 and RCC-MRx to the ASME approach for high-temperature assessment.

What they are checking: Whether they have broad knowledge of international design codes the posting names.

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The full job description

As published by Argonne National Laboratory.

The Applied Materials Division at Argonne National Laboratory has an immediate opening for a Postdoctoral Appointee. The candidate will be responsible for reviewing and developing design methods and models for high-temperature structural materials with applications in nuclear reactors and other energy systems. The candidate will collaborate with ANL staff to review, validate, and enhance methods for predicting the reliability of high-temperature structural components. This involves working with various continuum damage mechanics models and statistical reliability models. The goal is to enhance engineering methods for designing safer and more reliable components. The researcher will also contribute to technical reports, conference papers, and journal publications, and present findings at technical conferences. Position Requirements • Recent or soon-to-be-completed PhD (typically completed within the last 0-5 years) in mechanical engineering, materials science, civil engineering, structural engineering, or a closely related field. • Experience with finite element simulations and developing constitutive models. • Knowledge of high temperature creep crack growth. • Knowledge of engineering design codes such as the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, API standards, R5, RCC-MRx, or similar documents. • Coding experience in Python. • Skilled in oral and written communications, with the ability to present research at all levels of organization. • Ability to model Argonne’s core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity, and teamwork. • This position requires an on-site presence at the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois. Preferred Qualifications: • Background in fracture mechanics-based reliability modeling. • Familiarity with the basic structure-property relations for metallic and ceramic materials. • Experience in engineering design, particularly for high temperature components. • Experience with the MOOSE finite element simulation framework. Job Family Postdoctoral Job Profile Postdoctoral Appointee Worker Type Long-Term (Fixed Term) Time Type Full time The expected hiring range for this position is $72,879.00-$121,465.00. Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package. Click here to view Argonne employee benefits! As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law. Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department. All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis. Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual be to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment.

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