R&D Nuclear Engineer

About the role

You will advance nuclear technology through research and development at a national laboratory or advanced reactor company, turning scientific questions into engineered answers. The team designs experiments, builds prototypes, and develops the data that next-generation designs depend on. You will formulate hypotheses, execute test programs, and translate results into design guidance. This role matters because every deployed nuclear technology began as someone's research project, and your work creates the knowledge base the industry's future is built on. You will also collaborate with university partners and international research programs, multiplying the impact of your work. Your proposals will articulate not just scientific merit but the path from discovery to deployment. You will mentor graduate students and postdocs, building the research talent pipeline the field desperately needs. Your laboratory safety leadership will be exemplary, because cutting-edge research never justifies cutting corners on safety. Your technical reports will be written to outlive their projects, guiding engineers for years. You will also design the scaled test facilities that reproduce reactor thermal-hydraulic conditions, since credible experiments require prototypic environments, not benchtop approximations.

What you will achieve

• Design and execute experimental programs producing publishable data that advances the technical state of the art.
• Develop validated models or correlations adopted by design teams for real engineering decisions.
• Complete prototype testing demonstrating key performance claims of advanced concepts.
• Secure research funding through technically compelling proposals winning competitive awards.
• Publish peer-reviewed results establishing your and the organization's technical credibility.

What you will bring

Must-haves

• 4 to 7 years in nuclear R&D, experimental research, or advanced concept development.
• Strong fundamentals in reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, or materials relevant to your research area.
• Experience designing experiments with proper controls, instrumentation, and uncertainty analysis.
• Ability to translate research results into practical engineering guidance and design inputs.
• Technical writing skills for proposals, reports, and peer-reviewed publications.
• Creativity in experimental design: you find ways to answer hard questions with available resources.
• Persistence through the long cycles of research funding, execution, and publication.

Nice-to-haves

• PhD in nuclear engineering or a closely related field.
• Experience with DOE laboratory operations and user facility access.
• Track record of winning competitive research funding.
• Familiarity with technology readiness levels and commercialization pathways.