Postdoctoral Fellow (PREP0005214)

Johns Hopkins University; Gaithersburg (MD); On-site; USD 80,000 - 89,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering invites applications for a PREP Research Associate. This position supports the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) PREP program and focuses on precision interferometry and thermophysical measurements in metrology.

The role develops cryogenic gas thermometry and displacement interferometry techniques in collaboration with NIST. The successful candidate will work on multiple branches, including temperature ranges from 4 K

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics, Chemistry, or Chemical or Electrical Engineering.
• Experience with optics, laser control and feedback electronics, and temperature and pressure measurements.
• Experience with frequency metrology (optical and rf).
• Familiarity with measurement uncertainty and error analysis.
• Ability to work with the Python programming language.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research and development into precision interferometry, and its application to the measurement of thermophysical quantities.
• Instrumentation of apparatus, including optical, electrical, mechanical, and control automation.
• Instrument control, data acquisition and curation, and final analysis all performed in python.
• Publishing results of research to relevant journals and presentation at conferences.

Skills

Optics

Laser control

Feedback electronics

Temperature & pressure measurements

Frequency metrology

Measurement uncertainty analysis

Python programming

Education

PhD in Physics, Chemistry, or Chemical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Python

Job description

Salary

$80,000 - $89,000

Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first researchuniversity and home to nine world-class academic divisions workingtogether as one university.

Johns Hopkins University: Whiting School of Engineering: Office ofResearch and Translation

Description

PREP Research Associate

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST)Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizesthat its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers atacademic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, thusrequires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREPaward. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range ofbackgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employeesin this position will perform technical work that underpins thescientific research of the collaboration.

Research Title

Postdoctoral researcher / Precision measurement ofthermophysical quantities

The work will entail

NIST seeks a postdoctoral researcher with an interest in theprecision measurement of thermophysical quantities. Examplequantities of interest include thermodynamic temperature, pressure,refractive index, thermal expansion, density virial coefficients,magnetic susceptibility. A unifying principle of the work is thatall measurements are based on precision opticalinterferometry.

For example, one branch of interest is to develop a cryogenic gasthermometer. The working principle is refractive index gasthermometry, using a Fabry-Perot cavity resonator filled withhelium gas; temperature is derived from the ideal gas law. Thesystem targets a temperature range of 4 K to 303 K, with currentart performance realizing the SI unit kelvin.

Another branch of interest is the development of an accurate,air-based dilatometer to measure the thermal expansion coefficientof materials important to dimensional metrology. The workingprinciple is displacement interferometry with a linear slidetranslation stage. The system targets accuracy of about 3×10−8 /Kon the thermal expansion coefficient in the temperature range 283 Kto 313 K.

A third branch of interest is to measure the magneticsusceptibility of gases important to thermodynamic metrology. Theworking principle is a “Faraday balance”, which consists ofbalancing a suspended dumbbell in a magnetic field; as the volumearound the dumbbell is filled with the test (diamagnetic) gas, thedumbbell will rotate, and the magnetic susceptibility isproportional to the rotation. The undertaking aims to resolve largedisagreements between historic measurement and recent ab initiocalculation of the magnetic susceptibility of helium, neon, argon,and nitrogen.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limitedto

• Conduct research and development into precision interferometry,and its application to the measurement of thermophysicalquantities
• Instrumentation of apparatus, including optical, electrical,mechanical, and control automation
• Instrument control, data acquisition and curation, and finalanalysis all performed in python
• Publishing results of research to relevant journals andpresentation at conferences

U.S. Citizen Preferred

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics, Chemistry, or Chemical or ElectricalEngineering
• Experience with optics, laser control and feedback electronics,and temperature and pressure measurements
• Experience with frequency metrology (optical and rf)
• Familiarity with measurement uncertainty and error analysis
• Ability to work with the python programming language.

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 isdesigned to provide valuable laboratory experience and financialassistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor’s degree holders,graduate students, master’s degree holders, postdocs, andfaculty.

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratoriesand participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborativeresearch relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of highereducation in the following disciplines including (but may not belimited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computerscience, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics,nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, andstatistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitatethe administrative functions of the PREP Program.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected toperform the requisite reviews of the applications to determineeligibility and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure ofthis information is also subject to all the published routine usesas identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1:NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. Whenyou submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent forNIST to use the information you submit for the purposestated.

Salary Range

The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximumsalaries for this position and is based on Johns HopkinsUniversity's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not allcandidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range.The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may varyand will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may includethe successful candidate's geographic location, skills, workexperience, internal equity, market conditions, education/trainingand other factors, as reasonably determined by theUniversity.

Total Rewards

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

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Johns Hopkins University is committed to equal opportunity forits faculty, staff, and students. To that end, the university doesnot discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status,pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age,disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity orexpression, veteran status or other legally protectedcharacteristics. The University is committed to providing qualifiedindividuals access to all academic and employment programs,benefits and activities on the basis of demonstrated ability,performance and merit without regard to personal factors ordemographic characteristics that are irrelevant to the programinvolved.

Pre-Employment Information

If you are interested in applying for employment with Johns HopkinsUniversity and require special assistance or accommodation duringany part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HRBusiness Services Office at [e-mail] . ForTTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For moreinformation about workplace accommodations at Johns HopkinsUniversity for disabilities, medical conditions (including medicalconditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), accessibility, orreligious reasons, please visit accessibility.jhu.edu .

Background Checks

After receiving a conditional offer, the successful candidate(s)for this position will be subject to a pre-employment backgroundcheck including education verification. When deciding whether acandidate’s conviction history is job-disqualifying, the Universityconsiders the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that haspassed since the conviction, and the nature of the job being sought.

EEO is the Law

https://www.eeoc.gov/employees-job-applicants

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We still require all faculty, staff, andstudents to receive the seasonalflu vaccine.

Exceptions to the seasonal flu vaccine or COVID-19 vaccine (forSOM) requirement(s) may be provided to individuals with sincerelyheld religious beliefs or medical conditions that preclude themfrom receiving the vaccine. Requests for an exception must besubmitted to the JHU vaccination registry. For additionalinformation, 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 departmentfor more information.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas,laboratories, working with research subjects, or involvingcommunity contact requires documentation of immune status againstRubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella(chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received theTdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may includedocumentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicellavaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratorytesting. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases areordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam exceptforthose candidates who provide results of blood tests or immunizationdocumentation from their own health care providers. Anyvaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no costin our Occupational Health office.