Jobs UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

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Professional Research Assistant

Requisition Number:

58872

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

Research Faculty

Schedule:

Full-Time

Posting Close Date:

19-Sep-2024

Date Posted:

03-Sep-2024
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Job Summary

The Professional Research Assistant will support a group of about 15 scientists working on advanced optics projects for precision laboratory measurements and sensing over open-air paths.  The Professional Research Assistant will be expected to manage a diverse set of duties as required by the group including both technical work and general laboratory support.  

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, 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 University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including 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 Fiber Sources and Applications Group under the Spectrum Technology and Research Division at NIST.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

  • General laboratory support including managing repair of laboratory equipment and maintaining inventory of basic laboratory supplies, optical components, fiber optic components, and computer issues.
  • Field experiment support including logistics, maintenance and upgrades to mobile van laboratory, field site preparations.
  • Safety assistance including hazard reviews, upkeep of safety database.
  • Electronics work including cable construction, repairs of custom electronics, ordering of parts.
  • Construction of electro-optical laboratory and field systems, including basic machining work.
  • Fabrication of fiber-optic based systems including fusion splicing of fiber optic components, polishing of damaged fiber connectors.

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 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.

What We Can Offer

  • The salary range for this full-time position is $53,000 - $64,000 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

  • Bachelors degree or equivalent in Physics, astrophysics, engineering, or related field.

What We Would Like You to Have

  • Ability to use handheld tools for simple construction projects.
  • Ability to solder (wires, simple circuits).
  • Ability to work standing for multiple hours.
  • Machining skills.
  • Programming ability in Python.
  • Experience in electronics including soldering of surface mounts.
  • Previous use of a fusion splicer for fiber optic components.
  • Micro-controller programming experience.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:
  1. Resume/CV
  2. Cover Letter
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. However, if your degree was obtained outside of the United States, please submit an English-translated version as an Optional document.
 
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 will continue until September 19, 2024.
 
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