PREP0004199 Polymer Materials Science Researcher

PREP Research Associate

Opportunity No.: PREP0004199
CHIPS Funded Project

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

Polymer Materials Science Researcher

Project Description:

The Materials Measurement Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking a Materials Scientist to lead metrology development in rheology, thermal analysis, and structure–property relationships for complex polymeric and composite materials. Candidate will conduct high-level, independent research, translating cutting-edge measurements into industry-relevant metrics, reference methods/materials, and standards.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Design and execute rheological characterization of complex fluids and soft solids
• Lead thermal and thermomechanical characterization
• Characterize and model reactive/curing systems
• Build structure–property insights through multimodal characterization
• Author publications and present research to stakeholders

Desired Qualifications: 

• U.S. Citizens Preferred
• Ph.D. in polymer science, materials science, chemical engineering, or a related discipline
• Expertise in rheology, including advanced techniques such as orthogonal superposition rheology and large amplitude oscillatory shear rheology
• Experience with thermal analysis (DSC and at least one of DMA/TGA/TMA/CTE/thermal conductivity methods), including calibration/validation
• Solid background in cure kinetics, chemorheology, and polymer polymer physics
• Experience with additive manufacturing (extrusion-based and vat photopolymerization)
• Strong quantitative/data skills (e.g., Matlab/Python/Origin/JMP) for processing large datasets, fitting models, and producing publication-quality figures
• Track record of technical writing (peer-reviewed papers, technical reports, SOPs) and communicating results to mixed audiences
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects, mentor students/postdocs, and coordinate cross-functional collaborations
• Ability to work on-site in a laboratory setting in Gaithersburg, MD and meet all safety/training requirements

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. Amanda Forster (amanda.forster@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.