Archive for 2017

Congratulations to NSSC Affiliate, Austin Wright for winning this year’s Network Science and Nuclear Nonproliferation Challenge Prize. The challenge asked participants to write a paper on  applications of network science to nuclear nonproliferation. Austin’s winning entry described a set of methods to infer facility operations by computationally inducing stochastic state space models and then applying deep recurrent neural networks to the results.
The challenge is sponsored by Dept. of Energy Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research & Development office.

FACULTY POSITION IN NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY AND/OR RADIOCHEMISTRY at the University of California, Irvine

The Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Irvine invites applications from outstanding individuals for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level in the broad field of Nuclear Chemistry and/or Radiochemistry.  Candidates must have a PhD in Chemistry or a related field; postdoctoral experience is desirable. The position requires the establishment of a vigorous research program involving any aspect of Nuclear Chemistry or Radiochemistry, development of ideas for utilization of the department’s nuclear reactor facility, and a strong commitment to excellence in teaching areas of general chemistry and radiochemistry at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Applications must be submitted electronically via the Internet at http://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF04002.  Applicants should upload a cover letter, a curriculum vita (including a publication list), and a concise statement of proposed research.  A separate statement that addresses past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion should also be included in the application materials.  At least three letters of recommendation are required.  Applications and supporting materials should be received by September 30, 2017 for full consideration.  The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP IN MULTI-SOURCE DATA ANALYTICS

The Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley welcomes applications for a postdoctoral scholar to support a project on multi-source data analytics for nuclear nonproliferation applications. In the absence of direct detection of highly specific nuclear materials, indirect evidence must be used to understand the activities at both declared and undeclared nuclear facilities. Pattern-of-life using distributed intelligence provides important information to inform such assessments. The goal of this work, in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, is to collect multimodal data and develop algorithms for integration of disparate data types to identify “useful” patterns.

Responsibilities include data acquisition using compact networked sensors, model development for multi-sensor data analytics (e.g., network analysis, kriging, machine learning, etc.), presentations/publications (as appropriate) and attendance of a weekly research group meeting.

There is also the prospective opportunity for travel to facilities at partner national laboratories.

The initial appointment is for one year, with the possibility of extension up to three years. Starting salaries are typically in the range of $55,000 to $60,000 per year and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A PhD from a recognized university in one of the following areas: Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or Related Disciplines
• A superior academic performance and publication record
• Ability to be self-directed with broadly defined limits on assignments
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Experience in a Linux/Unix environment
• Proficiency in one or more of the following: Python, C/C++, SQL

A complete application includes the following components:

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Names of (3) References (Do Not Include Letters of Recommendation)
• Academic Transcripts

Position will remain open until filled. Application materials should be submitted to Bethany L. Goldblum, PhD (bethany@nuc.berkeley.edu).

Please refer to the UC Berkeley Statement of Confidentiality at http://apo.chance.berkeley.edu/evaltr.html. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply. The University of California is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.