Researcher II/III - Power Systems Market Modeling

# **Posting Title**Researcher II/III - Power Systems Market Modeling.# **Location**CO - Golden.# **Position Type**Regular.# **Hours Per Week**40.# **Working at NLR**NLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.# **Job Description**The Grid Planning and Analysis Center (GPAC) at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) seeks a researcher with deep expertise in power systems modeling, production cost modeling (PCM), electricity market design, and stochastic optimization to join its Grid Operations Planning group. This researcher will develop and apply large-scale optimization models that bridge short-run market operations and long-run grid planning, generating policy-relevant insights on price formation, flexibility valuation, and hybrid resource integration in U.S. wholesale electricity markets.The position is open to appointment at the Researcher II, or Researcher III level depending on qualifications and experience. Researcher II candidates will focus on contributing to established research workflows and developing independent capabilities over time; Researcher III candidates are expected to drive research direction and lead project tasks with greater autonomy. The successful candidate will contribute to NLR’s open-source Sienna modeling ecosystem and collaborate closely with system operators, regulators, and DOE program offices.# **Key Responsibilities****Production Cost and Market Modeling*** Develop and apply large-scale LP/MILP production cost models to study short-term market outcomes, price formation, and cost recovery in U.S. wholesale electricity markets.* Extend NLR’s Sienna\Ops platform to represent hybrid resources (storage, renewables, demand response) and enable integrated market participation simulation at scale.* Design and implement stochastic scenario-generation frameworks for load, solar, and wind to support uncertainty quantification in PCM and market studies.**CEM–PCM Integration*** Develop generalized frameworks to link capacity expansion models (CEMs) such as GenX and ReEDS with production cost models, including automated methods to translate data inputs and results between modeling paradigms leveraging the Sienna\Data package.* Contribute to automated workflows that downscale zonal CEM results to nodal PCM representations for reliability, stability, and cost validation analyses.**Market Design and Policy Analysis*** Conduct research on electricity market design questions including flexibility incentives, uplift and price consistency, hybrid resource market participation rules, and the economic impacts of large-load growth.* Produce peer-reviewed publications and technical reports that translate modeling results into actionable guidance for regulators, system operators, and policymakers.**Applied Large-Scale Grid Studies*** Contribute to large-scale electric system analysis studies — including resource adequacy assessments, interconnection-wide production cost simulations, and transmission planning analyses — that inform DOE programs, national grid planning initiatives, and public policy.* Synthesize modeling results across PCM, CEM, and market simulation workflows to develop integrated, scenario-based insights on grid reliability, affordability, and decarbonization under a range of technological and policy futures.* Collaborate with external partners including ISOs/RTOs, utilities, and DOE program offices to scope, execute, and communicate findings from applied grid studies to technical and non-technical audiences.**Software Engineering and Open-Source Development*** Contribute production-quality Julia (and/or Python) code to the Sienna ecosystem following modern software engineering practices: version control, automated testing, and continuous integration pipelines.* Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of researchers and engage with external stakeholders including ISOs/RTOs, DOE program offices, and industry partners.# **About the Group**The Grid Operations Planning group within NLR’s Grid Planning and Analysis Center conducts foundational and applied research in production cost modeling, capacity expansion, resource adequacy, and market design to inform DOE programs, national grid planning initiatives, and open-source modeling infrastructure. The group develops and maintains the Sienna modeling ecosystem and contributes to programs including NAERM and G-PST. Researchers work across a combination of direct and indirect funding sources and engage regularly with DOE program offices, ISOs/RTOs, and academic collaborators..# **Basic Qualifications**Researcher II: Relevant Master's Degree . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 2 or more years of experience . General knowledge and application of engineering technical standards, principles, theories, concepts and techniques. Training in team, task or project leadership responsibilities. Intermediate abilities and knowledge of practices and techniques. Beginning experience in project management. Good writing, interpersonal and communication skills.

Researcher III Requirements: Relevant PhD . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 3 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 5 or more years of experience . Demonstrates broad understanding and wide application of engineering technical procedures, principles, theories and concepts in the field. General knowledge of other related disciplines. Demonstrates leadership in one or more areas of team, task or project lead responsibilities. Demonstrated experience in management of projects. Very good writing, interpersonal and communication skills.**\* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.**# **Additional Required Qualifications**Appointment level will be commensurate with qualifications and education level including relevant degrees in electrical engineering, civil/environmental engineering, operations research, economics, or a closely related field.All candidates must demonstrate:* Working knowledge of large-scale optimization modeling (LP/MILP) applied to power systems, energy markets, or energy systems planning.* Proficiency in Julia and/or Python, including familiarity with optimization frameworks (e.g., JuMP, Pyomo) and experience handling large energy datasets.* Understanding of U.S. wholesale electricity market structures, price formation mechanisms, and bulk power system operations.* Strong written and oral communication skills; ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team research environment.# **Preferred Qualifications**•

Experience developing or contributing to NLR’s Sienna modeling ecosystem (e.g., Sienna\Ops, Sienna\Data, or related packages).•

Expertise in stochastic optimization, scenario generation, or sequential decision-making frameworks applied to power system operations or
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