Villanova University

Posting Number: 20251295F

Position Title: Postdoctoral Researcher - Mechanical Engineering

Position Type: Temp/Intern

Location: Villanova, PA

Recruitment Type: Internal/External Applicants

Work Schedule: temporary

Department: 205-Mechanical Engineering

Position Summary:

We are seeking a highly motivated and interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Researcher to join a collaborative project aimed at developing an integrated computational model linking the materials physics scale with the component-level scale to simulate the thermomechanical response of the full first wall/blanket structures during fusion reactor operation.

Villanova is a Catholic university sponsored by the Augustinian Order. The University is an equal opportunity employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect and can contribute to the University’s mission and values.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will:

• Conduct research on first-principles calculations of plasma-facing materials for fusion energy applications
• Collaborate with colleagues across multiple Universities and National Laboratories to integrate inputs.
• Contribute to the dissemination of research findings through academic publications, presentations, and community outreach.

Minimum Qualifications:

The successful candidate must have:

• Ph.D. degree in engineering, physics or closely related field
• Good organizational and communication skills
• The ability to work independently and communicate proactively
• Highly motivated with strong written and oral communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with first-principles calculations, DFT, Machine Learning, HPC.
• The individual is expected to actively pursue high quality publications and participate in generating new ideas and writing.

Physical Requirements and/or Unusual Work Hours:

Special Message to Applicants:

Please submit your applications at: https://jobs.villanova.edu.

Application materials should include:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Academic transcripts
• Names and contact information for three references

Posting Date: 10/30/2025

Closing Date (11:59pm ET):

Salary Posting Information:

Competitive.

Salary Band:

Job Classification: faculty

Minimum Number of References Needed 3

Maximum Number of References Needed 3