Research Associate (PREP0002246)

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 and thus requires that such institutions receive a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from various backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific study of the collaboration.

The fire modeling community is working to predict material flammability behavior quantitatively (e.g., ignition, burning rate, fire growth). State-of-the-art fire models require input parameters (material properties) that describe combustible solids' decomposition reaction mechanism (and associated kinetics and thermodynamics) and relevant heat/mass transport properties.

To address this need, the NIST Fire Research Division has been developing experimental and analytical tools to calibrate these material properties and validate their ability to predict flammability response across a range of configurations/scales (i.e., mg-scale thermal decomposition, g-scale gasification/burning, and flame spread over panels between 0.5 m and 2.5 m tall).

The Engineered Fire Safe Products (EFSP) Project is focused on developing a database that maintains the tools (experimental and analytical), measurement data (for model calibration and validation), and material property sets necessary to quantitatively predict material flammability behavior (e.g., ignition, steady burning, and fire growth). Specific needs include testing and analyzing experimental measurement data for fire model calibration and validation.

The PREP researcher will be responsible for:

§ Construction, calibration, maintenance, and operation of experimental apparatus designed to quantify the physical and chemical mechanisms (and material properties) that control material flammability.

o Example equipment include standardized test apparatus (e.g., thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, cone calorimetry, evolved gas analysis) and custom test apparatus that record and process signals from multiple measurement devices, interfaced through a data acquisition program such as LabVIEW.

§ Collecting and analyzing measurement data from fire tests conducted across various scales.

§ Iterative development and implementation of analytical tools to process measurement data.

§ Ensuring that results (i.e., measurement data) meets project leader's quality control specifications and is adequately categorized and archived for future consumption.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

§ Preparing samples and independently conducting bench-scale fire experiments

§ Assisting in the construction and operation of intermediate- and full-scale fire experiments

§ Processing, analyzing , and reporting on (written and visualization) experimental measurements; developing and applying related uncertainty analysis tools

§ Identifying, reporting, and suggesting corrective actions on tools, data, and safety-related issues.

§ Supporting tech transfer of test results and staying current with relevant literature in the field.

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 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 information collection 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 meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses 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 indicate your voluntary consent for NIST to use the information you submit for the stated purpose.

§ B.S. or M.S. in Engineering (fire protection, materials science, mechanical), Chemistry, Physics, or a related field

§ Experience in an experimental testing, design, and research environment.

§ Strong oral and written communication skills.

§ Excellent time management and organizational skills.

§ Demonstrated ability to work with programming/data analysis tools is preferred (e.g., Excel, MATLAB, Python, R).

§ Ability to work independently and as part of a team to learn new activities and skills.

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Job Type: Full Time Johns Hopkins University is committed to active recruitment of a diverse faculty and student body. The University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members. Consistent with the University's goals of achieving excellence in all areas, we will assess the comprehensive qualifications of each applicant.