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.
Despite significant progress in science, technology, guidance, and tools related to disaster reduction, hazard events in the United States still result in significant direct and indirect costs in terms of lives lost, disruption of commerce and financial networks, properties destroyed, and the cost of mobilizing emergency response personnel and equipment. Community resilience, the ability to withstand the impacts of hazards and recover community functions quickly, is a local and national issue. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Community Resilience Program is (1) developing science-based tools and metrics to support and measure resilience at the community-scale (2) engaging community resilience stakeholders, and (3) conducting disaster and failure studies to develop expertise and metrology that support development and validation of community resilience tools.
This PREP researcher will advise on work associated with community resilience planning, leading practices, and adaptation to future hazard conditions related to socioeconomic dimensions of critical community functions.
Key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
- Advise on mixed methods research,
- Developing innovative methods and research directions that support field research and enhanced metrology,
- Presenting results at internal meetings, and occasional meetings with external stakeholders,
- Ensuring that results, protocols, datasets, and documentation have been archived or otherwise transmitted to the larger organization.
Qualifications
- A PhD in a Social Science discipline,
- 15 years of relevant experience,
- Expertise in qualitative and quantitative analyses as well as mixed methods research,
- Knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies,
- Strong oral and written communication skills.
The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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.