Location: Knoxville, TN
Cap-Exempt H-1B Position — No lottery required
Requisition Id 15983 **Overview:** We are seeking an R&D Associate who will focus on developing and applying advanced signal processing, wireless communications, and AI techniques to RF sensing, drone detection, and power grid waveform analytics. You will apply methods traditionally used in wireless communications and signal intelligence — including time-frequency analysis, interference modeling, multi-sensor fusion, and propagation modeling — to develop AI-enabled detection, classification, and triangulation algorithms for critical energy infrastructure applications. This position resides within the Grid Communications and Security (GCS) Group in the Energy Sensing, Analytics, and Communications (ESAC) Section, Electrification and Energy Infrastructure Division (EEID) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. **Major Duties/Responsibilities:** - Develop and implement advanced time-frequency and spectral analysis techniques for high-frequency voltage/current waveform data - Apply wireless PHY-layer concepts (synchronization, channel estimation, interference mitigation, multi-user detection) to grid disturbance detection - Develop RF-based drone detection and classification pipelines using IQ data and SDR platforms - Implement localization and triangulation algorithms using multi-sensor fusion (e.g., TDOA, AOA, RSSI-based methods) - Develop RF propagation and digital twin models for infrastructure environments (urban, substation, corridor scenarios) - Integrate physics-informed machine learning models with signal processing feature extraction - Develop prototype software tools for automated waveform analytics and real-time disturbance detection - Prepare proposals, reports, and peer-reviewed publications - Deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote equal opportunity by fostering a respectful workplace – in how we treat one another, work together, and measure succ