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Posted: 29-Jan-26
Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Type: Full-time
Salary: Starting at 84,480.00
Internal Number: A-180748-26
General Description
PREP Research Associate (US Citizen)
This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (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.
The position is in the Applied Economics Office (AEO), a part of the Engineering Laboratory (EL) at NIST, which provides economic products and services through research and consulting to industry and government agencies in support of productivity enhancement, economic growth, and international competitiveness, with a focus on improving the life-cycle quality and economy of constructed facilities and manufacturing processes that support social and economic functions. AEO is integrated within EL's major research thrusts. AEO delivers high quality research and tool development that informs and assists stakeholders in their decision-making processes. The position will collaborate directly with the software development team in EL's ELDST (Engineering Laboratory Data, Security, & Technology) that oversees AEO's software development projects.
Research Title:
Performance and efficacy of machine learning and artificial intelligence implementation in economics and life cycle system science decision support
The work will entail:
We are looking for a computer scientist (US citizen) to join our team in researching the performance and efficacy of machine learning and artificial intelligence (large language models - LLMs) across a variety of both research-oriented and public-facing software applications using standardized science-based metrics. The initial focus is on developing LLM-based outputs, and comparing their performance relative to manually developed outputs, including drafting annotated bibliographies and literature reviews, writing code, web applications that incorporate LLMs to enhance capabilities, and LLM-based web applications.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in integrating LLM APIs, React, and front-end programming, and will be responsible for transforming models into usable APIs or integrated tools for production. They will also be responsible for monitoring, troubleshooting and enhancing model efficiency and scalability. The candidate should also be well versed in handling data preprocessing, and analysis for model training. The candidate should be aware of various prompt engineering techniques, implementing intelligent prompt caching (e.g., Redis), understanding of vector stores (e.g., Pinecone), and efficient token management. The candidate should have knowledge of implementing AI security protocols, including guardrails and techniques to prevent prompt injection. The candidate should also have a working knowledge of RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation). Additional research tasks may be assigned based on candidate's skillset and priorities.
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
 Develop user interfaces for web application
 Assist with special software development projects as assigned
 Write and implement efficient code
 Document code and publish on GitHub
 Work closely with other developers
 Statistically compare performance across code and tool designs
 Draft manuscripts documenting the methodology and results
Qualifications
 US Citizen
 Master's degree in Computer Science or related field
 At least 2 years of professional experience
 At least 1 year as development team lead for at least one web application using the software stacks listed below
 Experience with state management in React (RxJS)
 Experience working on cloud technologies (AWS, Azure)
 Working knowledge of RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation)
 Proficient with integrating one or more LLMs into applications (e.g., OpenAI, Gemini, Llama)
 Proficient with HTML, CSS, Typescript, React, and Python
 Proficient using any UI Component libraries (e.g., Ant Design, Material UI, etc.)
 Proficient with Node.js
 Working knowledge of building quick prototypes using Streamlit (or similar) and LLMs
 Proficient with JSON
 Proficient with Vite, Nginx, GitHub, Docker, and Portainer
 GPU programming or data visualization experience a plus
 Evidence of strong oral and written communication skills, including authorship on at least 2 technical publications)
 Strong logical thinking and problem solving
 Excellent attention to detail
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 characteristics. 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 or demographic characteristics that are irrelevant to the program involved.
Pre-Employment Information
If you are interested in applying for employment with 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 at Johns Hopkins University for disabilities, medical conditions (including medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), accessibility, or religious 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 background check including education verification. When deciding whether a candidate's conviction history is job-disqualifying, the University considers the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction, and the nature of the job being sought.
EEO is the Law
https://www.eeoc.gov/employees-job-applicants
Vaccine Requirements
Johns Hopkins University strongly encourages, but no longer requires, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 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. We still require all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine.
Exceptions to the seasonal flu vaccine or COVID-19 vaccine (for SOM) requirement(s) may be provided to individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs or medical conditions that preclude them from receiving the vaccine. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. 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 candidates 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.
