Postdoctoral Researcher (PREP0002911)

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 requiring that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program seeks 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 for a postdoctoral associate level researcher interested and experienced in applied data science to work jointly with chemists, mathematicians, and computer scientists at NIST to participate in the characterization and modeling of properties and spectra of PFAS chemicals with the goals of improving detection of PFAS compounds, replacing PFAS in plasma etching processes, or identifying solid adsorbent additives to remove PFAS. To accomplish these goals, the candidate will participate in the development of AI/ML algorithms for the prediction of chemical properties, infrared and mass spectra, and ionization cross sections, incorporating uncertainty quantification into AI/ML models and providing useful information in aid of UQ in AI/ML models to discern patterns in physical properties. The position will be highly interdisciplinary, requiring regular communication between chemists, computer scientists and mathematicians working on modelling these compounds using experimental as well as data from chemistry/physics calculations/simulations.

 

The work will entail:

 

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

·         Developing novel machine learning algorithms for the prediction of physical and chemical properties, infrared and mass spectra, and ionization cross sections using data derived from experiment and computation.

·         Implementing algorithms to study the performance of AI/ML classification models.

·         Assessing uncertainty in prediction and classification of experimental data as well as data sets derived from quantum chemistry and physics calculations and simulations.

·         Computationally testing mathematical and machine learning models with respect to accuracy and uncertainty quantification.

·         Developing software to implement the goals stated above (most likely in Python).

·         Disseminating results through posters/seminars at international meetings and university seminars.

·         Ensuring that all results, findings, data, software, etc. are correctly archived and transmitted through appropriate channels.

Qualifications

·         Completed a PhD (or close to completion) in data science or related field.

·         Knowledge of or a desire to acquire knowledge about chemistry.

·         Minimum of 1 year of experience conducting data science research.

·         Significant course work in one or more of chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics and/or computer science.

·         Familiarity with one or more AI/ML software packages. Familiarity with relevant, domain-specific software packages is preferred but not required.

·         Ability to program in a modern computational language (e.g. Python).

Application Instructions

Please upload the following (preferably in a single PDF) with your application:

 

·         CV/Resume

·         2 professional references

*Please limit C.V to 2 pages only

*Do not include any personal information such as photos, home address or phone numbers

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.

 

 

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

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

Diversity and Inclusion

The Johns Hopkins University values diversity, equity and inclusion and advances these through our key strategic framework, the JHU Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion.

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.