PREP0004151 Viral Reference Materials Development Senior Researcher

PREP Research Associate

Opportunity No.: PREP0004151

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

Viral Reference Materials Development Senior Researcher

Project Description:

The Material Measurement Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking qualified persons to contribute to cutting-edge research projects aimed at developing viral measurement tools and reference materials in the service of expanding the NIST portfolio of microbial measurement assurance to better serve stakeholders. A successful applicant will join a dynamic, multidisciplinary team working with cutting-edge technologies in the NIST Complex Microbial Systems Group. They will contribute to a growing program supporting technology development in the areas of biosurveillance and microbiome.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Responsible for maintaining (onboarding, culturing, characterizing) a portfolio of diverse viruses (up to BSL-2) to meet varied stakeholder needs 
• Perform viral and eukaryotic cell culture, plaque assays, optimization, and development of viral culture protocols
• Consult and work with stakeholders in the microbiome and pathogen detection communities
• Keep accurate and organized electronic records
• Present results of the work in the form of reports, manuscripts, and oral presentations

Desired Qualifications: 

• U.S. Citizens preferred
• Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biology, Virology, Microbiology, or a related field
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant laboratory experience
• Experience measuring cytopathic effect using plaque assays
• Experience developing viral infectivity assays
• Experience in measuring the infectivity of non-cytopathic viruses
• 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 one-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. Stephanie Servetas (stephanie.servetas@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.