PREP0001431 PREP Research Associate

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.

Employees in this position will coordinate with NIST research staff toward the development of test methods, metrics, and reporting mechanisms for the evaluation of novel interfaces for human-robot interaction. Tasks will include 1) the creation of prototype interfaces using technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, smart phones, and wearables; 2) designing and executing experiments to evaluate the impacts of interface design on the user experience and the effectiveness of human-robot teaming; and 3) developing formalized test methodologies for human-robot interaction performance evaluations. Employees will also be tasked with coordinating with NIST staff for the collection of data, and the construction and analysis of data sets, archival reports, and instructional media.

The work will entail:

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

  • Developing metrology tools for capturing and annotating human-robot interaction data sets,
  • Investigating software tools for real-time and post-factor human-robot interaction data collection and analysis,
  • Presenting results at internal meetings, and occasional meetings with external stakeholders.

Qualifications

  • A Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related field.
  • Pursuing a graduate degree in Computer Science or Engineering, with research focus in robotics
  • Ability to develop prototypes of tools needed to analyze data.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.

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

Experience Program (PREP) Job Opportunities

Job opportunities for the NIST PREP program will be posted here. If you are interested in one of these positions, please upload your CV to the following link. Note that PREP000XXXX is the position number noted below.

1. PREP0001431 (Posted June 7th 2023) – Metrics for Human-Robot Interaction. 

Download Posting

  • Group: Manipulation and Mobility Systems Group
  • Level of Appointment: Graduate Student
  • Total Hours per week: 20
  • Work Location: Remote, Physically at NIST (Gaithersburg, MD)
  • Requested Start Date: 2023-07-01
  • End Date: 2024-09-30