Jobs UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

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Professional Research Assistant

Requisition Number:

64848

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

Research Faculty

Schedule:

Full-Time

Posting Close Date:

20-Jun-2025

Date Posted:

11-Jun-2025
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Job Summary

The goal of this position is to develop new measurement approaches for novel semiconductor materials, including 2D materials and wide bandgap (WBG) materials. In order to understand how such novel materials can be effectively integrated with reliable microelectronic devices, the Professional Research Assistant will develop complementary measurement and modeling approaches.  Specifically, approaches will be developed to characterize stacked 2D-material-based heterostructures and related devices.  Measurement and modeling approaches will also be developed for nanoscale dielectric breakthrough characterization of WBG materials.  The Professional Research Assistant will characterize novel semiconductor materials (and devices that integrate those materials) by use of atomic force microscopy with a single-frequency, near-field, scanning microwave impedance microscope (sMIM) and near-field broadband (2 GHz to 20 GHz) probe metrology.  The Professional Research Assistant will subsequently develop data analysis and/or computational models to determine material properties, quantify charge distribution, and characterize defects in test structures.  They will organize and present data analysis and system models in ways that are clear and useful to team members and project managers.


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 Quantitative Nanostructure Characterization Group under the Applied Physics Division at NIST.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

  • Stamping, patterning and shaping of 2D materials.
  • Utilizing scanning microwave impedance measurement (sMIM) and related methods.
  • Application of broadband near field scanning microwave microscopy (NSMM) to 2D and WBG semiconductor materials and in operando characterization of related devices.
  • Measurement of the response of the semiconductor materials with piezoresponse force microscopy, as well as correlative time-domain measurements of dielectric breakthrough in those materials.
  • Analysis of sMIM, NSMM, and other measurement data.

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.  By applying to a CHIPS-funded PREP opportunity, you also acknowledge that participation in the project requires signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to beginning any work.

What We Can Offer

  • The salary range for this full-time position is $62,000 - $105,000 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 Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

What We Would Like You to Have

  • Experience in transferring 2D materials onto substrates.
  • Experience with sMIM and NSMM techniques.
  • Experience with RF and/or microwave measurements.
  • Familiarity with image processing of scanning probe microscopy images.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:
  1. Resume/CV
  2. Cover Letter
(Optional) Transcripts/Proof of Degree: 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 June 20, 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