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PREP Research Associate | National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

June 30, 2026
Contact Adam Fleisher, adam.fleisher@nist.gov, or Solomon Woods, solomon.woods@nist.gov. 
 

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:

Far-Infrared Laser Spectroscopy and Spectro-radiometry

The work will entail:

The Far-InfraRed Virtually Imaged Radiometry [FIRVIR] project at NIST is designing, building, and characterizing dispersive spectrometers and detector arrays to establish an SI-traceable basis for far-infrared spectro-radiometry. The goal of the project is to develop a compact platform for far-IR sensing, compatible with SmallSat/CubeSat missions. Work will include the design of critical spectrometer elements, spectrometer assembly, and the application of far-infrared lasers and optical frequency combs to the precision analysis of spectrometer dispersion and resolving power. Success will require the acquisition and/or application of spectral reference data in order to perform wavelength calibration of spectrometers from 4 µm to 100 µm. Further work will include operating cryogenic systems, performing spectro-radiometer calibrations, and working with infrared blackbody sources and infrared detector arrays to establish traceability.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

  • Optical design and characterization of dispersive spectrometers.
  • Opto-mechanical design and testing of vacuum spectro-radiometer components.
  • Operation of far-infrared lasers and laser frequency combs.
  • Measurements of spectrometer throughput using various light sources and detector arrays.
  • Analyzing data on spectrometer and spectro-radiometer performance.
  • Acquiring and/or interpreting data from molecular spectroscopy.
  • Present results at internal meetings and external scientific conferences.


Qualifications

  • PhD in Physics, Optical Sciences and Engineering, or a related field.
  • <5 years of relevant post-PhD experience.
  • Demonstrated experience with design, alignment, and assembly of opto-mechanical systems.
  • Demonstrated experience performing spectral and/or imaging optical measurements, preferably with optical frequency comb lasers and high-resolution molecular spectroscopy in the infrared.
  • Ability to control, operate and automate scientific test equipment and instrumentation.
  • Familiarity with design and simulation tools like SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, Zemax OpticStudio, FRED, or similar.
  • Familiarity with the programming languages Python, MATLAB, or LabVIEW.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.

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.