Author: Yin-Yin Tan

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. 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: Understanding Concrete Foundation Deterioration by Modeling the Impact of Pyrrhotite

U.S. Citizen Preferred

The work will entail:

Damage to concrete structures in residential and commercial construction in central Connecticut has been attributed to the iron sulfide mineral pyrrhotite. Iron sulfides in concrete aggregate are not desirable as their relative instability results in decomposition with associated staining, expansion, and pop-outs near concrete surfaces or, in severe cases, cracking of the structure. There are no standardized test methods to assess pyrrhotite occurrence and abundance in aggregate or in concrete due to its low concentrations while still having a significant impact. Developing a standard test method, including a set of calibration reference standards will provide a means for accurate, consistent analysis of pyrrhotite in concrete. An improved understanding, based on modeling and experimental data, of the pyrrhotite/aggregate/concrete reaction types, reaction rates, and reaction product impact on concrete expansion, is needed so that the most deleterious reactions can be efficiently reduced or eliminated.

In this opportunity, the PREP researcher will develop models to better understand the microstructural characteristics relevant to the internal sulfate expansion phenomena, including its volume expansion.

Key resonsibilites

• chemo-mechanical modeling to simulate the expansion and the damage in concrete,
• thermodynamic modeling to evaluate the reactions in cement phases due to pyrrhotite oxidation,
• crack progression modeling using Finite Element Model (FEM) to simulate cracking behavior due to internal phases expansion,
• moisture transport modeling that considers the distressed concrete due to pyrrhotite,
• surface coating simulation modeling,
• interfacing with NIST experimentalists to support and validate modeling work,
• analyzing modeling results and drafting manuscripts.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Chemistry/ Physics/ Mechanical Engineering/ Chemical Engineering/ Civil Engineering
• Minimum of one year of experience of modeling pyrrhotite reactions and resulting damage in concrete with proof of peer-reviewed publications
• Knowledge of concrete durability, i.e., chemo-mechanical modeling, diffusion, thermodynamic modeling.
• Extensive knowledge of FEM, and programming skills in Fortran and C++.
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Currently living in the United States

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