Interdisciplinary General Engineer/Physical Scientist

About The Position

Duties/Description:

This position is in the Policy and Analysis division of the Office of Policy, Analysis, and Engagement of the Office of Carbon Management (OCM). The Policy and Analysis division is responsible for conducting analysis to support developing and coordinating strategies for advancing carbon management technology development, scale up, deployment, and commercialization. It provides technical and economic analysis to support departmental and programmatic priorities and decision-making on key issues impacting carbon management technologies. The division leads analysis efforts within OCM. It conducts analysis, reviews, and synthesis studies of justice, workforce, and environmental issues; market and economic conditions and impacts; and policy and financing considerations to support OCM and its partners and stakeholders across the Department, Federal agencies, and externally. The division collaborates closely with the Engagement division and Federal Partnerships division to support outreach and engagement with stakeholders and to support the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) mission more broadly in scaling up and deploying carbon management technologies.

The incumbent in this position will:

• Serve as a senior technical expert conducting and evaluating life cycle analysis/assessment (LCA) of advanced carbon management technologies including carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) as well as carbon dioxide removal (CDR). The analysis will support and evaluate Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s research and development program activities.
• Support the incorporation of LCA methodologies to account for carbon management process footprints within energy market models (e.g., NEMS, GCAM, etc.).
• Coordinate DOE's efforts to conduct life cycle analysis in support of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service implementation of the 45Q tax credit for CCUS. This includes the coordination of technical reviews requested as part of 45Q requirements.
• Support development of LCA guidance for carbon management related equities as required for other tax credits introduced in the Inflation Reduction Act. 
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, and economists who work collaboratively on life cycle analysis at DOE Headquarters, National Energy Technology Laboratory, and other national labs. 
• Coordinate development of application specific LCA guidance for the evaluation of decarbonization technologies as part of the programs initiated in the Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and DOE Earthshots.
• Support LCA coordination efforts within the DOE and across federal government agencies
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with this position:

• Mastery of LCA concepts and methods and knowledge of LCA principles and framework as codified in ISO 14040 and 14044 standards
• Familiarity with carbon management technologies (carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage and CDR technologies)
• Experience with the use of LCA software and commercial life cycle inventory databases (e.g., openLCA, ecoinvent, GaBi)