Assistant Research Scientist; PREP

PREP Research Associate – CHIPS Funded Project

Chip's (CHIPS and Science Act) funded project at NIST’s Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). The role supports collaborative scientific research by performing technical work in a cross‑institutional partnership. The work includes film growth, materials characterization, analysis of piezoelectric and electromechanical properties, publication, presentation, and mentorship.

• Primary responsibilities:
  
  thin‑film growth by reactive magnetron sputtering, chemical and structural characterization, measurement and interpretation of electrical and electromechanical properties.
• Interaction with interdisciplinary partners on publication, reporting, and device prototyping.
• Writing up research for project reports and archival journals, presenting results at national and international conferences.
• Publishing findings in peer‑reviewed journals, participating in funding proposals, and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students.

Education and Experience

• B.S. in materials science and engineering or related field with emphasis on semiconductor devices, functional ceramics, or related topics.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Basic experience with laboratory equipment and materials characterization such as X‑ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and scanning probe microscopy.
• Laboratory safety training.
• Strong oral and written communication in English.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Film growth via RF magnetron sputtering.
• Textured/epitaxial film analysis via advanced diffraction techniques (rocking curve, pole figure, reciprocal space mapping).
• Measurement and analysis of piezoelectric and/or ferroelectric properties.
• Characterization of RF resonator devices.
• Measurement and interpretation of electrical properties using a probe station.

U.S. Citizen Preferred

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Johns Hopkins University is an equal opportunity employer. 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 characteristics. It 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.