Lead weapons effects phenomenology SME supporting DTRA's counter-WMD mission by designing high-fidelity physics-based simulations and directing experimental shock physics research to characterize energetic materials and weapons effects under extreme loading conditions.
What you'll do
- Serve as technical authority on weapons effects phenomenology, shock-to-detonation science, and energetic materials response for DTRA programs using high-fidelity M&S
- Design, develop, and validate reactive chemistry network models describing material behavior under thermal, mechanical, and shock-driven loading conditions
- Integrate experimentally derived reaction networks with hydro-codes (CTH, ALE3D) and molecular dynamics frameworks (ReaxFF, LAMMPS) to produce predictive weapons effects simulations
- Plan and execute experimental diagnostics including laser-driven shock physics, gas gun testing, and advanced spectroscopic/mass spectrometry to characterize detonation chemistry and shock-induced reactions
- Translate experimental and simulation findings into technical reports, briefings, and analyses that inform DTRA program decisions and certification milestones
- Mentor junior scientists on weapons effects test methodologies, laboratory safety, and high-fidelity simulation best practices
- Identify and recommend advanced instrumentation and laboratory infrastructure upgrades to expand high-strain-rate testing capability
Mission
This role directly supports the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) at Fort Belvoir, VA, serving their counter-WMD, nuclear technologies, and weapons of mass destruction defeat mission areas. The SME bridges experimental shock physics and predictive hydro-code simulation to deliver validated assessments informing DTRA program technical decisions, test planning, and senior-level reviews.
Required skills
- CTH hydro-code simulation
- ALE3D shock physics modeling
- ReaxFF reactive molecular dynamics
- LAMMPS molecular simulation
- Reactive chemistry network design and validation
- Shock physics and detonation science
- High-energy density physics experimentation
- MATLAB/LabVIEW data acquisition and analysis
- Advanced diagnostic instrumentation (laser shock, spectroscopy, mass spectrometry)
- Technical report writing and peer-reviewed publication