This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). NIST recognizes that its research staff may want to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and, therefore, requires those institutions to be recipients of a PREP award. The PREP program involves staff from a wide range of backgrounds conducting scientific research across various fields. Individuals in this position will perform technical work supporting the collaboration's scientific research.
Research Title: Nanocalorimetry Sensor Design and Fabrication
Candidates must be eligible to obtain a Department of Commerce background check for facility access.
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. This individual will work closely with the leaders of this multi-effort project but will personally be responsible for developing and fabricating new sensor designs optimized for a variety of applications, including characterization of thin film materials and in-situ monitoring of plasmas.
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
- Work with other project team members to design new nanocalorimetry sensors for multiple applications
- Use Finite Element Analysis to model the thermal and mechanical behavior of new sensor designs prior to fabrication
- Fabricate sensors in the NIST Nanofab
- Utilize multiple techniques to determine the mass of samples prior to thermal analysis
- Perform nanocalorimetry experiments and conduct subsequent data analysis to extract material properties as needed
- Publish results in peer reviewed scientific journals and present results at scientific conferences.
Required Skills, Expertise and Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in materials science, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering or related field.
- Expertise in thermal analysis of materials, including calorimetry-based measurements
- Experience with CAD (Solidworks preferred) and FEA (Abaqus preferred) software
- Experience with materials characterization techniques, including LDV, optical profilometry, and electron microscopy
- Experience with cleanroom operations and standard nanofabrication processes
- Strong written and oral communication skills; ability to work independently and as part of a team.
The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.