PREP0003527 Thermomechanical Modeling Researcher

PREP Research Associate

Opportunity No.: PREP0003527

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (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, and 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.

APPLY ONLINE HERE

 Thermomechanical Modeling Researcher

Project Description:

The Materials Measurement Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking qualified persons to perform finite element analysis and simulations related to nanoscale and microscale material property measurements based on atomic force microscopy and instrumented indentation. This work will focus primarily on numerical modeling of nanoscale and microscale thermomechanical tests on materials and heterogeneous structures used in advanced packaging of microelectronics.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Perform finite element analyses to model the thermo-mechanical behavior of materials and structures at the micro- and nano-scale 
• Research and develop theoretical models for the analysis of temperature-dependent micro/nanomechanical behavior of materials and heterogeneous structures at elevated temperatures. As needed, refine these models based on data from AFM and nanoindentation experiments 
• Publish results in peer-reviewed scientific journals and present results at scientific conferences

Desired Qualifications: 

• U.S. Citizens Preferred
• Ph.D. in Materials Science or related field
• Advanced knowledge and experience with finite element methods/multiscale modelling, particularly related to nano/microscale contact mechanics. Experience writing software and/or using Python scripting to speed up/automate simulation workflows
• Experience with computational materials research, particularly in the validation of experimental results or the extraction of materials properties from complex experimental data
• Knowledge of AFM and/or nanoindentation experiments. Hands-on experience preferred

Other Details:

• Full-time: the participant is expected to work 40 hours a week
• Location: the participant will work at the NIST Gaithersburg Campus.
• Duration: this is expected to be a one-year and three-month position. Extensions are sometimes granted depending on the availability of funds.
• For questions related to the research project or the nature of the work in this position, please contact Dr. Gheorghe Stan (gheorghe.stan@nist.gov). For questions related to the online application or NIST PREP more generally, please contact msu-nistprep@morgan.edu.

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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 the administrative functions of the PREP Program.

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