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Postdoctoral Associate

Requisition Number:

66800

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

Research Faculty

Schedule:

Full-Time

Posting Close Date:

29-Aug-2025

Date Posted:

22-Aug-2025
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Job Summary

This position will collaborate with NIST staff to design and build an experimental apparatus to measure the viscosity of gases used in semiconductor processing; use this apparatus to perform state-of-the-art measurements; evaluate the experimental data; and publish results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP).  NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and thus requires that such institutions be the recipients 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.
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

PREP is a special partnership between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder. PREP provides research opportunities to CU undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers with a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in NIST labs to gain research experience alongside NIST scientists.

The particular group that needs a researcher is the Thermophysical Properties of Fluids Group under the Applied Chemicals & Materials Division at NIST.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

  • Design of a dual-capillary viscometer for the measurement of gas viscosity.
  • Working with instrument shop to fabricate the viscometer.
  • Automation of the apparatus using LabView.
  • Conduct experiments with the apparatus and analyze resulting data.
  • Presenting results at internal meetings, external conferences, and in published journal papers.
  • Ensuring that results, protocols, software, and documentation have been archived or otherwise transmitted to the larger organization.
  • All the above will be in collaboration with NIST staff.

What You Should Know

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 of 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 the 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.

What We Can Offer

  • The salary range for this full-time position is $67,000 - $100,000 annually.
  • Onboarding/relocation assistance may be available, however, if within a 12-month period you exercise your right to willfully terminate your employment with the University of Colorado, you hereby agree to reimburse the department for your relocation expense.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder.

Be Statements

Be ambitious. Be pioneering. Be Boulder.

What We Require

  • A PhD in Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or a related field.

What We Would Like You to Have

  • Strong collaboration skills.
  • Graduate course(s) in thermodynamics.
  • Experience in the design and fabrication of experimental apparatus, including 3D CAD design.
  • Hands-on lab experience to construct and run experiments.
  • Experience with LabView for automation of experiment.
  • Experience with measurement of fluid properties.
  • Experience with analysis of data, including analysis of experimental uncertainties.
  • Commitment to work safely in the lab. § Strong oral and written communication skills.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:
  1. Resume or CV
  2. Cover letter addressed to the Search Committee briefly describing your qualifications, professional goals, and specific interest in this position.
If you are selected as the finalist, your degree will be verified by the CU Boulder Campus Human Resources department using an approved online vendor. If your degree was obtained outside of the United States, please submit a translated version as an optional attachment.

During the application process you will need to enter contact information for a reference. We will request the letter of recommendation immediately following your application. 
 
Review of applications will begin immediately and remain open until August 29, 2025.
 
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Lisa Valencia

Posting Contact Email: recruitprep@colorado.edu