Category: Gaithersburg

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 work will entail:

NIST’s Engineering Lab (EL) Systems Integration Division, Life Cycle Engineering Group is seeking a researcher in product design for microelectronic circularity. We are expanding our research to develop ways of maximizing the value of U.S. microelectronics and semiconductors based on principles of circular economy. Microelectronics are valued for their processing capabilities and the materials that they contain. Our team, together with our external partners, is developing new practices for design that will better enable recovery.

The design research aspects of the work explore new ways to integrate circularity assessment into the design of products containing microelectronics. We are developing new metrics and measurement methods to allow designers to assess and plan for the recoverability of these complex products. Additionally, this work focuses on the identification of information and data needs to provide decision-support to consumers and enable end-of-life stakeholders (recyclers, municipalities, waste managers, infrastructure providers) that improve the volume of valuable microelectronics to be recovered.

The methods developed in this work will be used to inform future product design and may be a basis for corporate or open standards. We will drive the state of the art forward with advanced techniques in life cycle assessment, simulation, and AI- and data-driven design. Results will include a suite of decision support tools (metrics, models, and published research) and new standards to improve recovery outcomes, thereby strengthening supply chain resiliency via new material sources, and enabling stakeholders to respond dynamically to material availability challenges in the future.

We seek experienced research candidates with a background in products design, micro and nano engineering, and/or supply-chain interoperability, and a Ph.D. (preferred), M.S. and/or related experience with a record of research in peer-reviewed publications. US citizenship needed.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Conduct a landscape survey documenting the state of the art in chip and microelectronic design, including existing efforts for reuse, recycling and refurbishment and current methods to quantify financial and environmental impact
• Partner with stakeholders in the semiconductor ecosystem to develop and test fit-for-purpose recovery metrics
• Outline best design practices for circular and sustainable microelectronic products and support the development of documentary standards to disseminate findings
• Integrate end of life data with computational design to enable better recovery outcomes for microelectronics
• Publish and present findings through internal reports, peer-reviewed conferences, and academic journals

Qualifications:

Desired skills/technical knowledge include a combination from the following:

• Understanding of micro/nano fabrication processes for chips and first-principle modeling
• Experience with systems thinking and supply chain modeling
• Familiarity with LCA and related forms of assessment used to evaluate environmental performance of products
• Programming, data analysis and visualization with Python and/or MATLAB
• Experience or study of product design and engineering principles for sustainability.

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. By applying to a CHIPS-funded PREP opportunity, you also acknowledge that participation in the project requires signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to beginning any work.

• 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.

The work will entail:

NIST’s Engineering Lab (EL) Systems Integration Division, Life Cycle Engineering Group is seeking a researcher in operations research and industrial engineering. We are expanding our research to develop ways of maximizing the value of U.S. microelectronics and semiconductors based on principles of circular economy. 

Microelectronics are valued for their processing capabilities and the materials that they contain.  Operations research is applied to enable value recovery from the perspective of measuring the flow of materials, used in semiconductors, throughout the economy.  We create methods to measure what, when and how much material will become available in the future and viable pathways for reclaiming those materials into the economy. 

By applying advanced forecasting methods to establish and validate circular pathways for microelectronic recovery, the project will deliver science-based techniques that strengthen domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. The results will include a suite of decision support tools (metrics, models, and published research) to improve recovery outcomes, thereby strengthening supply chain resiliency via new material sources, and enabling stakeholders to respond dynamically to material availability challenges in the future.

We seek experienced research candidates with a background in micro and nano engineering, operations and/or supply-chain management, and a Ph.D., M.S. and/or related experience with a record of research in peer-reviewed publications.  US citizenship needed.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Conduct a literature survey including data collection on state-of-the-art of the microchip manufacturing process and chip product value chain.
• Develop a strong understanding of the microchip market including the strengths and limitations of U.S. chip-making.
• Develop high fidelity simulation models (across multiple product life cycles and product value chains) to quantify and characterize the material stocks and flows, and uncertainties and risks associated with domestic chip manufacturing sector.
• Propose and develop quantitative evaluation metrics to effectively maximize microchip value.
• Regularly synthesize results and analyses of findings and disseminate these via NIST program partners, special reports, high-impact journal publications and as presentations at technical conferences.

Qualifications:

Desired skills/technical knowledge include a combination from the following:

• An understanding of micro/nano fabrication processes for chips and first-principle modeling
• Systems thinking, supply chain modeling, and knowledge of integrated production systems
• Data analysis and visualization with Python and/or MATLAB
• Predictive modeling and ML techniques, including dimensionality reduction, regression, and classification (ANOVAs single and multi-factor, non-parametric methods)
• Stochastic Modeling (probabilistic models and their applications to manufacturing systems)
• Principles of integrated production systems, including material handling, material flow and information flow, and scheduling.

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. By applying to a CHIPS-funded PREP opportunity, you also acknowledge that participation in the project requires signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to beginning any work.

• 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.

The work will entail:

In semiconductor manufacturing and metrology, optical techniques are often utilized to assess the
quality of wafers or epitaxially grown layers because local material defects or contamination are
detrimental to device performance. Increasingly, these optical techniques are based on hyperspectral
imaging principles where every pixel of an image contains both the spatial and the spectral information
corresponding to photons arriving from a part of the chip. One very popular optical imaging method is
photoluminescence (PL) imaging where an area of the material is optically excited by a laser, or an LED
and the emitted luminescence photons are intercepted via a detector such as a spectrometer or a
filtered camera.

This research is focused on the development of a standard reference light source that can be used to
calibrate any wide field or scanning imaging system such that every pixel of an image is calibrated to
show the actual photon flux leaving the surface of the semiconductor material or the chip. Furthermore,
this reference light source will produce spectral photon flux maps so that hyperspectral images at
various emitted photon energies are calibrated in an absolute way. We will work on a process to ensure
that the measured defect emission spectra are properly scaled by a NIST calibration specimen such that
one can make a meaningful comparison between different optically detected defects measured on
readily available commercial devices. Furthermore, the radiative efficiency of the material will be
determined, which will directly correlate with the material quality and allows the manufacturer to reject
high-impurity, defective wafers during inline monitoring.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Perform uniformity mapping of standard light sources using programmable translational scanning stages.
• Perform angular measurements of light leaving various light sources using an in-house programmable robotic arm.
• Calculate a spectral calibration factor and develop a mathematical approach to apply it to every pixel of a hyperspectral luminescence image.
• Test the developed calibration factor on a few semiconductor wafers such as on GaAs or GaN chips.
• Develop an uncertainty budget for the measurement and analysis protocol.

Qualifications:

• Ph. D. degree in Physics, Computer Science, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• 2 years of relevant experience, including graduate research work.
• Familiarity with data analysis techniques and mathematical computations using programming tools such as Mathematica, Python or MATLAB.
• A strong desire to collaborate with other researchers and be involved on various related projects.
• 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

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 work will entail:

Commercial phase change materials (PCMs) in the US and EU markets are incorporated in macro- and micro-encapsulations for latent heat storage in building energy applications. The thermal conductivity and the specific heat capacity of these PCM products, which are usually reported in the specification’s datasheet and are measured by a Heat Flow Meter (HFM), are the main thermal data used for installation guidance and energy saving calculations. However, these measurements exhibit non-linear behaviors with temperature due to contributions from the encapsulation materials and other factors. Therefore, the thermal behavior of encapsulated PCMs masks the thermal properties of the actual PCM and its phase change properties. Furthermore, the measurement by an HFM is fundamentally a relative measurement being heavily correlated with the calibration of internal heat flux transducers using a reference material.

This work aims to establish the groundwork needed to develop a reference material for validating the specific heat capacity values, as well as thermal conductivity of macro-encapsulated PCMs. The research focus is to ultimately provide a new measurement service by developing a PCM reference material with reliable thermal properties and a well-defined phase-temperature relationship.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Simulating thermal distributions on empty and PCM filled – encapsulation panels between heating and cooling sources.
• Determining thermal conductivity and heat capacity values of the PCM encapsulation panels using computational methods.
• Analyzing PCM melting and solidification process in the encapsulations using computational methods.
• Presenting results at internal meetings, and occasional meetings with external stakeholders.
• Ensuring that results, protocols, software, and documentation have been archived.

Qualifications:

• A minimum master’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related field.
• A minimum of 2 years of relevant experience is preferred.
• Familiarity with PCM and thermal simulations is a big plus.
• Ability to work with a commercial finite element software (experience with COMSOL is preferred but not required).
• Ability to develop an analytical model needed to analyze data.
• 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

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program in support of microwave impedance measurements. 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 work will entail:

This position supports a project focused on developing and validating novel measurement methods for adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy vectors. The primary goal is to address the critical quality control issue of accurately characterizing and quantifying “partially full” viral capsids.

The PREP associate will work with a unique set of AAV samples engineered with specifically sized DNA genomes to simulate known filling states. The core of the work involves using advanced microscopy and analytical techniques to establish a quantitative relationship between the AAV genome size, the physical filling state of the capsid, and the capsid’s surface hydrophobicity.

This research directly supports the NIST mission of advancing biomanufacturing by enabling the development of reference materials and more scalable quality control methods for the gene therapy industry.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Participating in the production and purification of Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) samples
• Performing characterization of AAV preparations using techniques such as droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and size exclusion chromatography (SEC)
• Performing cryogenic electron microscopy (CryoEM) analysis on AAV samples
• Conducting atomic force microscopy (AFM) and chemical force microscopy (CFM) experiments
• Analyzing and correlating data from CryoEM, Analytical Ultracentrifugation (AUC), and AFM to establish clear relationships between AAV genome size, filling state, and capsid hydrophobicity
• Adhering to all biosafety protocols for materials such as AAVs and human cell lines
• Presenting results at internal meetings and potentially at scientific conferences
• Publication of results in peer-reviewed journals
• Ensuring that experimental results, protocols, and data analysis are thoroughly documented and archived

Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Biophysics, or a closely related field
• Experience with the production, purification, and characterization of viral vectors (particularly AAV), viruses, or other biologics
• Proficiency in standard biochemical and molecular biology assays, such as qPCR, ddPCR, ELISA, and protein/nucleic acid quantification
• Experience in quantitative data analysis and the ability to correlate results from multiple complex analytical methods
• Strong oral and written communication skills, evidenced by a track record of publications and/or scientific presentations
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary 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 requiring 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: Materials Research Scientist (CHIPS Project: Nanometer-Scale Planar Reference Materials)

The work will entail:

The candidate will join a team of researchers working with advanced metrology methods to characterize, local physical and chemical properties and map any variation in these properties of thin, nanometer-scale films (oxides, nitrides, carbides, germinides) deposited on Si and SiC wafers. The candidate will plan and conduct research using X-ray reflectivity, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to determine through hybrid metrology, open-source, analysis methods, structural maps for wafers with thin films of essential interest to the semiconductor community.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Plan and conduct research on advanced X-ray metrologies to determine structural (physical and chemical) properties of blanket (non-patterned) thin films on Si and SiC wafers.
• Use X-ray characterization methods, such as X-ray reflectivity, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, to determine the structural properties of thin film samples.
• Use open-source (python) fitting methods to constrain structural models, determine uncertainties, and combined these properties into a hybrid metrology digital wafer.
• Perform wafer dicing, cleaning, and packaging of samples for distribution as a Research Grade Test Material to pair with the previously-determined digital wafer model.
• Publish results in refereed scientific journals and present results at conferences and meetings.

Qualifications:

• PhD in physics, materials science, or another related field
• Background in X-ray measurement technique(s) required, either:
  • X-ray reflectivity, X-ray fluorescence, or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• Use X-ray characterization methods, such as X-ray reflectivity, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, to determine the structural properties of thin film samples.
• Background in programming and/or data modeling using python (or equivalent) recommended.
• Familiarity with thin film deposition and clean room access protocols, preferred
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work productively as part of a team and independently

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