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.
The Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Group of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking a motivated and talented researcher or recent graduate to join our team. This role will be focused on advancing the modeling of wildland fire dynamics and smoke transport, with a particular focus on prescribed fire and the wildland-urban interface. This position offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research that will support the development of robust numerical models with the aim of improving the planning and implementation of prescribed fire.
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
- Develop, implement, and evaluate numerical models of wildland fire dynamics, including combustion, heat transfer, and fluid flow. An emphasis will be placed on the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and improving its ability to model fire spread and near-field smoke transport in outdoor flows.
- Process and analyze geospatial field data to validate and refine numerical models, ensuring their accuracy and reliability.
- Work closely with an interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and external partners to understand the required model capabilities to meet stakeholder objectives.
Qualifications
- A PhD or equivalent experience in Atmospheric Science, Fire Science, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. Experience with topics related to wildland fire or fire science is preferred.
- Demonstrated experience in numerical modeling, particularly in fluid dynamics, combustion, or atmospheric transport processes.
- Proficiency in programming languages, especially Python, Matlab, and/or FORTRAN. Familiarity with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software and tools, particularly making use of HPC systems.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities as well as excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Please upload the following (preferably in a single PDF) with your application:
- Research proposal
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.
SURA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences, such as age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, religion, or sexual orientation. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.
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