Postdoctoral Fellow (PREP0003143)

Requisition #: A-165739-26

Status: Full Time

Type: Fellowship

School: Whiting School of Engineering

Department/Program: Commercial and Government Programs Office

Salary: $82,764.00

Location City: Gaithersburg

Location State: MD

Location Zip Code: 20899

Closing Date: Open until filled

To apply: apply.interfolio.com/165739

General Description

PREP Research Associate

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:

Developing rapid analysis algorithms and automation tools for high speed x-ray diffraction experiments

The work will entail: 

The Material Measurement Laboratory seeks immediate applicants for a postdoctoral role focusing on developing and deploying advanced machine learning models and physics-informed algorithms for analyzing high-speed XRD data and phase transformation kinetics assessment of metal additive manufacturing (AM). This postdoc will be part of a broader NIST research team developing a new autonomous metrology platform for additively manufacturing metal alloys. The postdoc will collaborate with scientists across NIST on critical problems pertaining to designing and implementing the data analysis algorithms, data pipelining, and integration with experimental equipment to be able to analyze x-ray diffraction (XRD) data on-the-fly.

The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a new metrology capability for metal additive manufacturing. This metrology will be capable of analyzing the > 2 kHz synchrotron diffraction data for phase identification and quantification. Decisions about which measurement parameters, which additive manufacturing parameters, and which alloy compositions to measure will need to be made on-the-fly in near real-time. This position will be part of the team developing the algorithmic and software tools to enable such an autonomous workflow. Such a workflow will enable the collection of crucial thermodynamics and kinetics data for additive manufacturing, characterizing the critically needed links between structure and AM processing.

This research is expected to be conducted through extensive internal and external collaborations, providing access to a full range of state-of-the-art materials characterization and computational modeling capabilities. The results will have broad implications for accelerating AM adoption across industries and advancing NIST's mission in measurement science.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

-         As part of the research team, developing methodology for analyzing complex datasets involving synchrotron XRD data of additively manufactured metal alloys, including fast and scalable methods for XRD-based multiple phase identification and scalable methods for quantitative measurement of phase fractions and microstructure-based sample broadening effects.

-         Collaborate with HPC experts to build high performance parallelized workflows

-         Collaborate with the research team to integrate analysis modules and predictive models into the automation and control systems of the AM metrology platform

-         Publish scientific papers describing the research

-         Present results at scientific conferences

Qualifications

-         PhD in at least one of the following: materials science,computer science, physics, chemistry, or closely-related disciplines.

-         Demonstrated experience developing or applying machine learning / data science for scientific data analysis.

-         Strong experience in scientific computing, workflow development, and data management.

-         Experience with synchrotron XRD data analysis. 

-         Cross-disciplinary collaboration.

-         Reproducible research and production/dissemination of archival datasets.

-         Broad experience with materials characterization and/or simulation.

-         Enthusiasm for learning about diverse materials measurement technologies and bridging the communication gaps between computer scientists, experimenters, and modelers.

Application Instructions

Please upload the following with your application:

-         CV/Resume

-         2 professional references

*Please limit C.V to 3 pages only and ONLY include a valid email address for your contact info. Please DO NOT include telephone numbers, home address or photos on your resume.

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.

Salary Range

The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.

Total Rewards

Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees' health, life, career and retirement. More information can be found here: https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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

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.

Background Checks

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

EEO is the Law:

https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf

Diversity and Inclusion

The Johns Hopkins University values diversity, equity and inclusion and advances these through our key strategic framework, the JHU Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion.

Vaccine Requirements

Johns Hopkins University strongly encourages, but no longer requires, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine does not apply to positions located in the State of Florida. We still require all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. 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. This change does not apply to the School of Medicine (SOM). SOM hires must be fully vaccinated with an FDA COVID-19 vaccination and provide proof of vaccination status. 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 upon campus. 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.