Assistant Research Scientist (PREP0005181)

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.

Research Title:

Synchrotron X-ray Additive Manufacturing Experiment Support and Data Analysis

The work will entail:

As part of its efforts to meet the needs of U.S. manufacturers in advanced manufacturing, the National As part of its efforts to meet the needs of U.S. manufacturers in advanced manufacturing, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed the Laser Processing and Metrology Testbed (LPDT), a portable laser processing platform designed for high-energy synchrotron X-ray experiments at facilities such as the Advanced Photon Source (APS) and the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). These experiments combine in-situ X-ray diffraction and imaging with laser process parameters and complementary process-monitoring measurements to investigate laser-material interactions and laser powder bed fusion. The Research Associate will primarily support the planning and execution of LPDT and related synchrotron experiments and process and analyze the resulting data, including existing datasets from prior beamtime. The associate will also help maintain reproducible analysis workflows, organize experimental data and metadata, and prepare results for reports and publications. The position may be performed primarily remotely; occasional travel to NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and to synchrotron facilities, including APS and CHESS, will be required for testbed preparation and on-site experiments.

U.S. Citizen preferred

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

- Support experiment design, beamtime planning, hardware and testbed preparation, setup, alignment, execution, and documentation for LPDT and related synchrotron experiments.

- Process and analyze in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and imaging data from laser materials processing experiments.

- Correlate X-ray measurements with laser scan conditions and synchronized visible, thermal, and other process-monitoring data.

- Develop and document reproducible Python or MATLAB workflows for data preprocessing, calibration, quality control, visualization, and quantitative analysis.

- Organize large datasets and metadata, compare results across experiments, and prepare figures, summaries, and publication-quality results.

- Assist with mechanical, optical, sample-fixture, and testbed preparation needed for synchrotron and NIST experiments.

- Present results at internal meetings and coordinate effectively with NIST researchers and external synchrotron-facility collaborators.

- PhD degree, or current enrollment in a PhD program, focused on additive manufacturing or a closely related field. An undergraduate degree in materials science and engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline is preferred.

- Demonstrated hands-on experience conducting in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and/or imaging experiments.

- Experience with beamtime preparation, experimental setup and alignment, data acquisition, and post-experiment data reduction.

- Experience at high-energy synchrotron facilities such as APS and/or CHESS is strongly preferred.

- Familiarity with laser-material interactions, laser powder bed fusion, or related laser processing.

- Proficiency in Python for scientific data analysis and visualization; experience with MATLAB, Origin, or similar tools is desirable.

- Ability to work independently in a remote environment while collaborating effectively with a multidisciplinary team.

- Strong oral and written communication skills and the ability to travel occasionally for on-site experiments

Please upload the following with your application:

- CV/Resume

*Please limit C.V to 3 pages only and ONLY include a valid email address for your contact info. Your resume will not be considered if the following information is included on your CV/resume.

- Self portraits

- Phone number

- Home address/Country

- Citizenship status

- Languages spoken

- Sex/Gender

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 isdesigned to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor's degree holders, graduate students, master's degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.

PREPis 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. 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.

Salary Range

The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.

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After receiving a conditional offer, the successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check including education verification. When deciding whether a candidate's conviction history is job-disqualifying, the University considers the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction, and the nature of the job being sought.

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Johns Hopkins University strongly encourages, but no longer requires, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This change does not apply to the School of Medicine (SOM). SOM hires must be fully vaccinated with an FDA COVID-19 vaccination and provide proof of vaccination status. We still require all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine.

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