PREP0003933 Electron Microscopy Postdoctoral Researcher

PREP Research Associate

Opportunity No.: PREP0003933

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

Electron Microscopy Postdoctoral Researcher

Project Description:

NIST is actively seeking a candidate for a postdoctoral research position as part of a project related to the CHIPS for America Act. The project seeks to develop quantitative, atomic-resolution methods for the three-dimensional characterization of complex semiconductor devices via electron tomography. By coupling advanced specimen preparation, cutting-edge electron microscopy instrumentation, and AI-driven data collection and reconstruction, we will deliver a robust suite of measurement tools to the semiconductor industry.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Sample preparation via focused ion beam methods
• Collect and process TEM tomography data
• Present results at internal meetings and occasional meetings with external stakeholders
• Ensure that results, protocols, software, and documentation have been archived or otherwise transmitted to the larger organization

Desired Qualifications: 

• Ph.D. in Physics, Materials Science, or a related field with a concentration in electron microscopy methods
• Experience in the collection and processing of TEM/STEM data
• Computer programming for custom data processing
• Strong oral and written communication skills

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 1.5 year 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. Andrew Herzing (andrew.herzing@nist.gov). For questions related to the online application or NIST PREP more generally, please contact msu-nistprep@morgan.edu.

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 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 the information you submit for the purpose stated.