General Description

PREP Research Associate

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). NIST recognizes that its research staff may want to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and, therefore, requires those institutions to be recipients of a PREP award. The PREP program involves staff from a wide range of backgrounds conducting scientific research across various fields. Individuals in this position will perform technical work supporting the collaboration's scientific research. 

Research Title:

Research Engineer

The work will entail: 

We are looking for someone with expertise within the following technical areas: Computational wave and surge modeling with applications to coastal engineering; wave-structure interaction modeling with the OpenFoam-olaFlow system; hurricane risk modeling for buildings or infrastructure; experience with lab and field experiments. 

If selected, you will work with a larger NIST team to conduct computational experiments to study the effects of coastal hazards, waves, and flooding, on the coastal built-environment to support the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program's Hurricane Ian Study.

The person selected will work with the Engineering Lab's Materials and Structural Systems Division (MSSD) Structures Group with a focus on coastal engineering.

U.S. Citizen Preferred

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Participation in the compilation of field data and other information on Hurricane Ian, and its associated hazards and effects on the built environment.
• Providing expertise and support in hydrodynamic simulations, computational fluid dynamics with applications to coastal engineering for (1) characterization of the risks posed by hurricanes and other extreme wind events on the coastal built-environment and (2) quantification of their effects on the performance of buildings, and coastal communities. 
• Supporting the development and dissemination of Hurricane Ian's research results through presentation at conferences and publication of authoritative journal papers and reports. 
• Supporting the development and/or revision of standards and codes for improved resilience of the built-environment against wave- and surge-induced hazards.

Qualifications

§  This position requires a minimum of a PhD degree in Civil or Coastal Engineering or a related field. 

§  At least one year of specialized experience. Specialized experience is described as experience in applying computational techniques for simulation and characterization of loading due to hurricane hazards - including all of the following: wind, storm surge, currents, and waves - and their effects on coastal buildings, infrastructure, and communities.

§  Experienced with running simulations of coastal engineering models on super-computers using Slurm, Python, Fortran, Linux, and AI.

§  Experience conducting field and laboratory experiments in Coastal Engineering. 

§  Strong oral and written communication skills as evidenced by a record of publications in refereed journals using CFD and Coastal topics are expected. 

Application Instructions

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.

About Johns Hopkins University

The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) was founded in 1876 as the nation's first research university, dedicated to bringing the benefits of discovery to the world. JHU is the largest private employer in Baltimore and Maryland, making a large economic impact in the city and state. We enroll more than 30,000 full- and part-time students across ten academic divisions, offering in-person and remote learning in over 400 programs. Not only are we located in Baltimore, but we also have a presence in Washington, D.C.

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