NIST PREP Announcements

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. The AEO is integrated within
EL’s major research thrusts: sustainability, energy conservation, community resilience planning,
manufacturing, fire, smart grid, building construction, and safety. The AEO delivers high quality research
and tool development that informs and assists stakeholders in their decision-making processes.

AEO is searching for researchers in the field of decision science with experience in one or more of the
following disciplines:
• Data analysis
• Community planning
• Survey methods and design
• Behavioral science / economics / sociology
• Software design and development
• Supply chain analysis
• Systems / network / simulation modeling

The research associate will collaborate with NIST researchers and NIST’s external collaborators on projects
related to circular economy with a focus on the plastics recycling ecosystem.

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, assisting in at least one of the following:

• Development of decision frameworks for community level choices
• Design and execution of data collection instruments
• Statistical analysis of collected survey data
• Assessment of research and data gaps
• Developing decision-support tools for homeowners, communities, industry, and/or government agencies to make more efficient, sustainable, resilient, and/or circular choices
• Draft research slide decks, reports, and/or journal articles

Qualifications

• PhD in Decision Science, Economics, Behavioral Science, Psychology, Sociology, Engineering, or related field
• Research experience in at least one of the following topics: plastics, recycling, community planning
• Experience with data analysis software package(s) (e.g., R, Stata, SAS, SPSS, python)
• Experience in solving complex problems
• Excellent writing and communication skills
  

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

• Job Description
• 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.

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.

There is growing evidence that firefighters are being exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) associated with their gear. The source of the PFAS may be from the firefighter gear (FFG) construction materials or manufacturing process, deterioration of the FFG during service, and/or deposition on the FFG while on duty. To characterize and reduce the firefighter’s risk of being exposed to PFAS, NIST is starting new study to understand the type, prevalence, and concentration of PFAS on the FFG, the source of PFAS, and the mechanism for PFAS release from the FFG. This study is being conducted in collaboration with staff in MML.

This study has three main thrusts:

• Thrust 1: Characterize PFAS associated with FFG textiles (e.g.; jacket, pants, gloves) new/unused, and after stressing.  Stressing is intended to mimic typical wear-and-tear conditions while a Firefighter is on duty (e.g., elevated temperatures, abrasion, and laundering).
• Thrust 2: Characterize PFAS found at firefighter’s common workplace environments (e.g., fire scene, fire truck, and fire station). Understanding not only what PFAS species are identified but the source of the PFAS is essential to developing strategies to reducing Firefighter’s risk of being exposed to PFAS.
• Thrust 3: Coordinate and collaborate our research with the existing PFAS research community who are studying PFAS from AFFF, human health effects from PFAS exposure, etc.  The purpose of this is to use our data to help in the development of comprehensive strategy to reduce/eliminate Firefighter exposure to PFAS.

This is a position that requires delivering for these thrusts but provides flexibility and independency to adjust based on the person’s interests and skills. 

The PREP researcher’s work will primarily be in a chemistry/material science research laboratory setting. The researcher will be responsible for executing and reporting out sample preparation (stressing, extraction, etc.) and assisting in the analysis (chromatography, etc.) of specimens containing fluorinated chemicals. 

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Setting up, executing, and reporting out on preparing specimens for analysis (labeling, cutting, and storing of specimens, wet chemistry extractions and handling, etc.).
• Setting up, executing, and reporting out on preparing and completing physical stressing (abrasion, thermal, etc.) and airborne experiments of specimens.  
• Assist in the operating equipment and collecting of PFAS from thermal degradation and combustion experiments.
• Willing to learn how to operate analytic equipment (gas chromotography, etc.)

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in chemistry or related field
• 2 semesters of lab experience (before or after degree)
• Good communications skills
• Good time management skills
• Strong team focus
• Want to take on and learn new activities

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

• 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. 

• 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 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.

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

• 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.

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 the software development team in EL’s ELDST (Engineering Laboratory Data, Security, & Technology) that oversees AEO’s software development projects.

We are looking for a software developer to join our team in developing a new online software service
for economic analysis. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in React and front-end
programming. You will be responsible for designing and implementing new user interface features,
writing unit tests, and incorporating security measures into code. The service will utilize the Economics
Evaluation Engine API (code is available here: https://github.com/usnistgov/e3) developed by AEO and
ELDST for processing inputs and generating results. Additional development tasks may be assigned
based on candidates skillset and priorities.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Develop user interface code for web application
• Assist with special software development projects as assigned
• Write and implement efficient code
• Document code
• Work closely with other developers

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Computer science, Software engineering, Web development, Programming, or related field
• Proficient with React, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, JSON, Java, Python
• Familiarity with GitHub, Docker, Portainer
• GPU programming, data visualization or AI experience a plus
• Logical thinking and problem solving
• Attention to detail
• Strong oral and written communication skills

• 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.

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.

Goals and Approach

Postdoctoral Research Economist or Social Scientist

The Applied Economics Office (AEO) of the National Institute of Standards of Technology (NIST) anticipates the need for an economist or social scientist to work on community resilience and sustainability.

The position would be supported through the NIST Professional Research Experience Program.

This is an exciting opportunity to work along NIST researchers, while being associated with a NIST PREP participating academic institution.

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Research
• Publishing within refereed journals and technical research series
• Developing draft standards
• Crafting decision-support software
• Communicating research at professional conferences

Additional responsibilities may cover:

• Analysis of survey data
• Complex event analysis using spatial data
• Evaluating community level planning for climate and resilience
• Incorporating risk and uncertainty into community resilience planning assessments
• Survey design and approval processes

The PREP Postdoctoral researcher will use of a broad set of skills, including, but not limited to: survey tool development, sample frame development, statistical inference, systems analysis/ modeling, collaborative/participatory modeling, qualitative interview analysis, quantitative structural equation modeling and regression analysis, as well as agent-based modeling. Key outcomes will be analyses, reports, and best practice guidance to businesses, industry, standard making bodies, and government.

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

The work will entail:

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.
• Development of decision frameworks for community level choices
• Design and execution of data collection instruments
• Statistical analysis of collected survey data
• Assessment of research and data gaps
• Developing decision-support tools for home residents, homeowners, communities, business operators, industry, and/or government agencies to make more efficient, sustainable, resilient, and/or circular choices.

Qualifications

• A PhD in Sociology, Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, Social Science, Planning, Behavioral Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Background in econometrics and statistics and at least two of the following areas:
  • Applied microeconomics
  • Climate change
  • Decision-science or behavioral-science
  • Environmental economics
  • Non-market valuation
  • Regional economics
  • Risk and uncertainty
  • Input-output analysis
  • Supply-chain analysis
  • Survey design and methods
• Familiarity with multiple scripting languages.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

Candidates can reach out to Dr. Jennifer Helgeson at Jennifer.helgeson@nist.gov if interested. Please provide an up-to-date CV or resume. NIST is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer.

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.

Announcement and Application