The National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program invites applications for a position in support of CHIPS Act project “Electro-acoustic metrology of piezoelectric materials for wireless communications”. 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.
Primary responsibilities will be film growth by reactive magnetron sputtering, chemical and structural characterization, and measurement, interpretation, and analysis of electrical and electromechanical properties. Such work will be carried out in close collaboration with partners at NIST as well as the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), industry partners, and colleagues at other universities. The position will require publishing findings in peer reviewed journals, presenting the work at project meetings and scientific conferences, and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. Ample opportunity for authoring and co-authoring funding proposals will also be provided. The candidate must be comfortable with the measurement and interpretation of piezoelectric properties, ferroelectric hysteresis, and/or semiconductor devices
Primary Responsibilities:
- Thin film growth (and monitoring / optimization of such) via reactive magnetron sputtering
- Measurement, interpretation, analysis, and reporting of structural, chemical, electrical, and electromechanical characteristics of thin films
- Mentoring students working on collaborative projects
- Interaction with interdisciplinary partners on publication, reporting, and device prototyping
- Play critical role in writing up research for project reports and archival journals and presenting results at national and international conferences.
Minimum Qualifications:
- PhD in materials science and engineering or related field with an emphasis on semiconductor devices, functional ceramics, or related topics completed by 01/2024
- Basic experience with vacuum chambers
- Experience with materials characterization such as x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Scanning probe microscopy, etc.
- Measurement and interpretation of electrical properties using probe station.
- Laboratory safety training
- Strong oral and written communication in English language
Preferred Qualifications:
- Film growth via RF magnetron sputtering
- Textured/epitaxial film analysis via advanced diffraction techniques such as rocking curve, pole figure, and/or reciprocal space mapping.
- Measurement and analysis of piezoelectric and/or ferroelectric properties
- Characterization of RF resonator devices.
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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