Postdoctoral Researcher (PREP0002382)

Requisition #: A-144683-26

Status: Full Time

Type: Fellowship

School: Whiting School of Engineering

Department/Program: Commercial and Government Programs Office

Location City: Gaithersburg

Location State: MD

Location Zip Code: 20899

Closing Date: Open until filled

To apply: apply.interfolio.com/144683

General Description

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.

Research Title:

Corrosion's Impact on the Service Life of Reinforced Concrete Infrastructure

The work will entail: 

One of the main threats to reinforced concrete durability is corrosion of its reinforcing steel, with associated cracking and spalling of the concrete cover.  Two significant contributors to increasing the rate of corrosion are carbonation and salt ingress.  This chemical attack can impact not only the steel but also the strength of the concrete.  Reinforced concrete structures, especially in coastal areas and regions of heavy deicing salt usage, are particularly at risk of corrosion.  An additional risk to concrete infrastructure is climate change, including sea level rise.  Two factors are driving the need for improved reliability of reinforced concrete service life: (1) the desire to increase service life from 50 to 100 years for new construction, and (2) the aging concrete infrastructure, especially related to bridges and prioritizing their repair and replacement.  An improved understanding, based on modeling and experimental data, of the impact of the intrusion of chemical species into concrete on corrosion and its mechanical properties is needed to develop improved lifetime models and new performance-based standards and guidance documents.

In this opportunity, the PREP researcher will develop new test methods to better understand concrete's microstructural characteristics, its impact on corrosion, and the lifetime of reinforced concrete structures.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

-        Development of a corrosion test method to address the impact of the changing concrete environment, including its chemistry and microstructure,

-        Service life modeling that incorporates experimental data,

-        Interfacing with NIST researchers to support corrosion testing and validate modeling work,

-        Evaluating field samples to benchmark models, and

-        Present results and draft manuscripts. 

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 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 of the information you submit for the purpose stated.

Qualifications

-        Ph.D. in Chemistry/ Physics/ Mechanical Engineering/ Chemical Engineering/ Civil Engineering/ Materials Science

-        Strong oral and written communication skills

-        Currently living in the United States

The Johns Hopkins University is committed to equal opportunity for its faculty, staff, and students. To that end, the university does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or other legally protected characteristic. The university is committed to providing qualified individuals access to all academic and employment programs, benefits and activities on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance and merit without regard to personal factors that are irrelevant to the program involved.

Pre-Employment Information

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office at [email protected]. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations or accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, please visit accessibility.jhu.edu.

Johns Hopkins has mandated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, as applicable. The COVID-19 vaccine does not apply to positions located in the State of Florida. Exceptions to the COVID and flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/.

The following additional provisions may apply depending on which campus you will work. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.