Day: February 18, 2026

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, thus requires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

Research Title: Nanoscale Thermal Metrology Using Nanocalorimetry

U.S. Citizen Preferred

The work will entail:

The Materials Measurement Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking qualified persons (U.S. Citizens Preferred) to join a multi-disciplinary team of scientists working to advance the current state-of-the-art in nanocalorimetry-based measurements for monitoring of semiconductor manufacturing processes. This individual will work closely with the leaders of this multi-effort project but will personally be responsible for improving our measurement capabilities by making upgrades to existing hardware, software, and strategies for integrating the technique with plasma- and ALD-based tools used in semiconductor manufacturing.

Key resonsibilites

• Design and assemble new instrumentation to improve the accuracy, sensitivity, speed, and stability of nanocalorimetry measurements. Includes developing LabVIEW-based data acquisition systems, integrating new and existing hardware, and data analysis workflows
• Perform measurements to characterize the thermal properties of thin film materials
• Support parallel research efforts to utilize nanocalorimetry for in-situ monitoring of semiconductor manufacturing processes.
• Publish results in peer reviewed scientific journals and present results at scientific conferences.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in materials science, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering or related field.
• Hands-on experience with building and maintaining custom lab instrumentation, including extensive experience with LabVIEW. Experience with FPGA modules preferred.
• Expertise in designing custom electronics, including PCB layout and analog circuit design.
• Knowledge of common nanofabrication processes. Experience working in cleanrooms a plus.
• Knowledge of thermal property measurements. Hands-on experience, or specialized knowledge of calorimetry preferred.
• Strong written & oral communication skills; ability to work independently and in a team.

Please upload the following (preferably in a single PDF) with your application:

• CV/Resume

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3) and 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c)

Purpose: The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor’s degree holders, graduate students, master’s degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitate administrative functions of the PREP Program.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use of the information you submit for the purpose stated.

• Announcement and Application

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program invites applicants in support of research in assay development for microparticle measurements in microfluidics. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, thus requires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

Research Title: Control and measurement of microparticle in microfluidics

The work will entail:

This research project will entail design and testing of new methods for manipulation and optical characterization of materials in microflows. The scientist will work closely with a collaborative, multidisciplinary team of researchers to design, build, and model novel instrumentation that provides measurements of chemicals, microparticles, cells and cellular organelles in optofluidic measurement systems. The scientist will conduct experiments to estimate chemical mixing times, particle sizes and counts, fluorophore quantification limits, and limits to dynamic measurement delays that may be limited, for example, by particle tracking capabilities. The scientist will maintain cells and prepare assays of beads, cells, and organelles that will be used in devices that can passively purify reagents in flow (e.g. inertial focusing and dynamic lateral displacement arrays). Devices to stimulate and assess cellular function will also be fabricated and tested. Fluorescence microscopy and conventional flow cytometry will be utilized to benchmark measurements.

Key responsibilities:

• Maintain cells and prepare reagents
• Design, build and use microfluidic devices with integrated optical measurement regions
• Analyze cell and particle measurements in microfluidic devices and in culture via microscopy
• Presenting results at internal meetings, and occasional meetings with external stakeholders.
• Ensuring that results, protocols, software, and documentation have been archived or otherwise transmitted to the larger organization.

Qualifications:

• U.S. Citizen Preferred
• A doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience with microfluidics device design, control, and use
• Experience with clean room photolithography
• Experience with fluorescence microscopy
• Familiarity with Matlab software for instrument control and data analysis
• Familiarity with flow cytometry
• Strong oral and written communication skills

Please upload the following (preferably in a single PDF) with your application:

• CV/Resume

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3) and 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c)

Purpose: The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor’s degree holders, graduate students, master’s degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitate administrative functions of the PREP Program.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use of the information you submit for the purpose stated.

• Announcement and Application