Professional Research Assistant
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Job Summary
This project involves collaborative statistical research with NIST scientists, engineers, and statisticians to advance research in physical or biological sciences, focusing on areas of shared interest between the Professional Research Assistant and NIST. NIST’s research spans a wide range of programmatic areas, including chemistry, materials science, forensics, semiconductor technology, physics, civil engineering, and biology, among many other application domains. Potential research areas include:
- Developing machine learning models to predict degradation curves for monoclonal antibody stability indicators based on previous data and observed time-histories.
- Experimental design and statistical analysis for an interlaboratory study covering isotopic metallomics data, which has applications in diagnostic medicine.
- Comparison of measurement techniques for the analysis and development of NIST reference-grade gold nano-particle test materials.
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.
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 Statistical Engineering - HQ and division.
What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be
- Working with scientific collaborators to help define and clarify project goals and timelines.
- Data cleaning and exploratory data analysis; for example, developing graphical displays and descriptive statistics.
- Statistical modeling and analysis of data in support of collaborative research goals (e.g., hierarchical modeling, predictive modeling, uncertainty analysis).
- Implementation of statistical methods via high-level programming language such as R or Python.
- Presentation and communication of results and statistical analysis to non-statisticians.
What You Should Know
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
Be Statements
What We Require
- Researcher with an M.S. in statistics or a related field.
What We Would Like You to Have
- Strong oral and written communication skills.
- Experience with statistical graphics, modeling, analysis, and computing (e.g., Python, R).
Special Instructions
To apply, please submit the following materials:
- Resume/CV
- 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 July 21, 2025.
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.
Posting Contact Information
Posting Contact Name: Lisa Valencia
Posting Contact Email: recruitprep@colorado.edu