Posted: 28-Apr-26
Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Type: Full-time
Salary: 60,000.00 - 110,000.00
Categories:
Internal Number: A-185488-26
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:
Research Scientist - Experimental Flow Measurement and Instrumentation with Automated Data Acquisition
U.S. Citizen is Preferred
The work will entail:
The NIST Fluid Metrology Group seeks a motivated Batchelor-level or graduate-level researcher to support the design, development, and calibration of advanced experimental flow measurement systems. This position offers hands-on experience with high-precision flow meters, anemometers, and sensor instrumentation, including experimental setup, automation, and data acquisition. The successful candidate will assist in developing and implementing calibration protocols, as well as in designing, building, and carrying out flow-related experiments, ensuring traceability to national standards.
The researcher will work closely with a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers to design, operate, and maintain experimental flow facilities. Responsibilities include integrating instrumentation, automating measurement systems, conducting computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, fabricating custom components, maintaining quality assurance and documentation, and contributing to the development of experimental software for acquiring data and for controlling pumps, valves, and sensors.
This position is ideal for candidates with strong analytical and technical skills, experience in data acquisition and coding, and an interest in precision measurement and experimental fluid mechanics. A Bachelor's degree is required, and a Master's degree is preferred. The researcher will gain professional laboratory experience and opportunities to contribute to publications, presentations, and the broader metrology and fluid mechanics community. U.S. citizenship is preferred for this position.
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
- Design and Build Experimental Flow Systems - Collaborate with scientists and engineers to create, upgrade, and automate flow measurement setups.
- Calibrate Flow Instruments - Use national standards (e.g., NIST) to calibrate flow meters and anemometers, ensuring high precision and traceability.
- Develop and Execute Protocols - Plan and implement experiments, including setup, data acquisition, analysis, and uncertainty evaluation.
- Instrumentation Integration - Configure, calibrate, and troubleshoot sensors and flow devices (pressure transducers, thermocouples, RTDs, humidity sensors, anemometers, flow meters).
- Automate Data Acquisition - Maintain existing LabVIEW software for controlling experiments and collecting data, and develop new Python programs for future automation, measurement, and data analysis tasks.
- Fabricate Experimental Components - Design and produce custom parts in CAD for machining, 3D printing, or other fabrication methods.
- Run Computational Simulations - Use CFD or other computational tools to support experimental design and optimize flow systems.
- Apply Fluid Mechanics Principles - Support experimental design, planning, and troubleshooting of flow measurement systems using engineering fundamentals; analyze experimental data and assist in optimizing system performance.
- Present and Communicate Results - Prepare reports, papers, and presentations to share findings and contribute to measurement programs.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
- Experience or coursework in experimental fluid mechanics, flow measurement, or sensor instrumentation.
- Proficiency with data acquisition and experimental software (e.g., LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB).
- Familiarity with CAD software and basic fabrication for experimental setups.
- Knowledge of CFD simulations is a plus.
- Understanding of measurement uncertainty, calibration, and traceability to standards is a plus.
- Strong problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills.
- U.S. citizenship is preferred for this position.
Application Instructions
Please upload the following with your application:
- CV/Resume
*Please limit C.V to 3 pages only and ONLY include a valid email address for your contact info. Your resume will not be considered if the following information is included on your CV/resume.
- Self portraits
- Phone number
- Home address/Country
- Citizenship status
- Languages spoken
- Sex/Gender
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 jhurecruitment@jhu.edu. 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
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 vaccine requirements may apply, depending upon your campus. Please contact the hiring department for more information. 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.
