Author: Donna Jeno-Amici

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: Sustainability-Resilience Framework Fellow

Goals and Approach:

The PREP researcher will focus time on efforts that support the project: “Cost-Effective Resource Allocation Strategies for Community Resilience.” (Applied Economics Office, Dr. Jennifer Helgeson and Dr. Christina Gore)

It is expected that the PREP Researcher will engage in all steps of the research process, including but not limited to: Literature review, data collection, data analysis, preparation of reports and archival journal articles, as well as reporting and communication with stakeholders.

The objective of this role is to support community resilience planning through the development of methods and tools that evaluate the economic impacts of disruptive events and persistent stressors, while accounting for stakeholder perceptions and associated decisions related to future event uncertainty and co-benefit (co-cost) valuation. There will be special focus on criteria and methods to improve the resilient performance of structural systems in the built environment while maintaining cost-effectiveness and supporting community-defined objectives in addition to resilience.

There is a shocking lack of coordination across Greenhouse Gas mitigation and climate resilience and adaptation. This researcher will address identification of and suggestions for core needs for analyzing the synergies and tradeoffs in evaluation of climate change mitigation and adaptation (and resilience) together.

This research will explore synergies, and possibly tradeoffs, between adaptation and mitigation. It is clear that ambitious GHG mitigation is also critical to adaptation success. As noted by the AR6 IPCC Synthesis Report, “The effectiveness of adaptation, including ecosystem-based and most water-related options, will decrease with increasing warming”. At the same time, some mitigation measures, deployed at certain scales, can have negative impacts on sustainable development and adaptation. For example, afforestation or production of biomass crops can have adverse socio-economic and environmental impacts, including on biodiversity, food and water security, local livelihoods and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, especially if implemented at large scales. Many gaps in knowledge remain about these synergies and tradeoffs and frameworks for assessment. This work will highlight system transitions that can help exploit synergies and avoid trade-off, and also try to identify critical areas for future research. This will include: new modeling approaches, interdisciplinarity, bringing together qualitative and quantitative information, and developing more inclusive scenarios. The researcher may draw from peer-reviewed and gray literature as well as research focused on cases in both the Global North and Global South for application to the U.S. context.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Collaborate on data and methods to improve the methodology for measuring economic impact of community resilience planning, which is organized around the performance metric of ‘cost plus loss’ minimization – i.e., the economically optimal level of investment in prevention and mitigation activities to reduce future disturbance and disaster-related losses, as well as related expenditures that minimize the combined investment cost plus the value of expected losses.
• Create a corpus of papers that discuss frameworks relevant topics.
• Create a review document of frameworks for:
  • Climate change adaptation
  • GHG mitigation
  • Community resilience
  • Combinations thereof
• Compare and contrast the different frameworks within the review document of where they are compatible and where there need to be improvements to create one unified framework.

Qualifications:

• Pursuing a graduate degree in Economics, Social Science, Policy, Environmental Science, Law, or related field.
• At least one year of relevant research experience.
• Background in econometrics or statistics and at least two of the following areas:
  • Applied microeconomics
  • Climate change
  • Decision-science or behavioral-science
  • Environmental economics
  • Environmental Law
  • Environmental Science
  • Non-market valuation
  • Policy
  • Regional economics
  • Risk and uncertainty
  • Social Science
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

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

• CV/Resume

• Announcement and Application

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 the 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.

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:

Synthetic biology technician

The work will entail:

The Biosystems and Biomaterials Division at NIST is seeking to hire a biology wet lab technician with expertise in synthetic biology. The person hired for this position will work with a multidisciplinary team to support the development and execution of a variety of biological measurements.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Support the NIST Engineering Biology program by executing experiments and overseeing general lab operations.
• Maintain laboratory equipment and general lab supplies/consumables, with minimal oversight.
• Works with the engineering biology team to prepare engineered microbial strains and DNA plasmids.
• Includes growing and characterizing microorganisms and evaluating cellular properties.
• Prepares microbial culture media; sterilizes labware; performs DNA cloning and transformations; extracts nucleic acids for molecular detection methods including nest generation sequencing.
• Keep consistent documentation and data entry.

Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in chemical engineering, bioengineering, cell biology, chemistry, physics, synthetic biology, or a related field.
• Three (3) years of relevant experience.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

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

• CV/Resume

• Announcement and Application

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 the 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.

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:
Automation Technician

The work will entail:
The Biosystems and Biomaterials Division at NIST is seeking to hire a laboratory automation scientist or engineer. The person hired for this position will help to lead the development of automation-based methods to create a measurement infrastructure for engineering biology. They will work with a multidisciplinary team to develop and program new automation methods and to facilitate rapid and flexible adoption of automation systems for a variety of biological measurements.

The person in this position will:

• Support the NIST Engineering Biology Program in the automation of microbial growth and measurement protocols.
• Perform programming, setup, execution, and training of automated growth and measurement protocols.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues that arise with liquid handling equipment and other general laboratory equipment.
• Maintain a basic working knowledge of microbiology or cell biology. Protocols will include microbial growth, flow cytometry, DNA extraction, and sequencing library preparation.
• Interact with team members with multidisciplinary backgrounds including biologists, engineers, statisticians, and computer scientists to facilitate protocol development.
• Document automation workflows, assay results and QC testing procedures.
• Validate new assay reagents and new consumables for use in automation assays.
• Troubleshoot and fix common problems, interface with instrument vendors, and schedule maintenance calls to minimize instrument downtime.
• Keep consistent documentation and assist with preparing technical publications. Demonstrate problem-solving skills, and the ability to identify, manage, and overcome technical hurdles.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Perform programming, setup, execution, and training of automated growth and measurement protocols.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues that arise with liquid handling equipment and other general laboratory equipment.
• Maintain a basic working knowledge of microbiology or cell biology.
• Protocols will include microbial growth, flow cytometry, DNA extraction, and sequencing library preparation.
• Interact with team members with multidisciplinary backgrounds including biologists, engineers, statisticians, and computer scientists to facilitate protocol development.
• Keep consistent documentation and assist with preparing technical publications.
• Demonstrate problem-solving skills, and the ability to identify, manage, and overcome technical hurdles.

Qualifications

• Bachelors, masters, or PhD. in engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, or related field.
• Experience working with laboratory automation systems.
• Experience operating and developing methods for automated liquid handling systems.
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues that arise with liquid handling equipment and other general laboratory equipment.
• Experience with programming languages used for scientific data analysis, including, for example, Python, R, MatLab.
• Basic working knowledge of microbiology or cell biology.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills, and the ability to identify, manage, and overcome technical hurdles.
• Good communications, laboratory, and organizational skills; the ability to work independently and with a multi-disciplinary team.

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

• CV/Resume

• Announcement and Application

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 the 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.

PREP Research Associate – Digital Image Processing for Measuring Solar Panel Degradation

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.

The position is in the Applied Economics Office (AEO), a part of the Engineering Laboratory (EL) at NIST,
which provides economic products and services through research and consulting to industry and
government agencies in support of productivity enhancement, economic growth, and international
competitiveness, with a focus on improving the life-cycle quality and economy of constructed facilities
and manufacturing processes that support social and economic functions. AEO is integrated within EL’s
major research thrusts: sustainability, energy conservation, community resilience planning,
manufacturing, fire, smart grid, building construction, and safety. AEO delivers high quality research and
tool development that informs and assists stakeholders in their decision-making processes.

The position will collaborate directly with EL’s Heat Transfer and Alternative Energy Systems (HTAES) Group that has
expertise in PV electrical and opto-electronic characterization and optical metrology and operates a
world-class hyperspectral imaging system and DIP experts from the Information Technology Lab (ITL)
Information Systems Group.

We are looking for a highly motivated graduate student to join our multidisciplinary team developing
measurement science and tools for evaluating solar panel degradation. The ideal candidate will have a
background in machine learning, specifically digital image processing, to evaluate images of solar panels
to estimate solar sell degradation and compare the visual degradation to measured performance data of
the solar panels.

The work will entail:
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
• Developing a quantitative approach to evaluate solar panel degradation using images collected
in the laboratory
• Compare the visual degradation to performance measurements from the laboratory
• Replicate the quantitative approach to in situ solar panel images
• Document code
• Draft documentation of the developed process
• Assist with additional machine learning related projects as assigned

Qualifications

• Graduate student in Computer science, Software engineering, Programming, or related field
• Proficient with Python or Java
• Familiarity with MatLab
• GPU programming, data visualization or AI experience a plus
• Logical thinking and problem solving
• Attention to detail
• Strong oral and written communication skills

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

• Cover letter
• CV/Resume

• Announcement and Application

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.