Senior Research Scientist; PREP

PREP Research Associate

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. 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.

Research

Title:

National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP) Windstorm Disaster Survey Development Researcher

The work will entail: working with a social scientist to develop survey instruments to gather data concerning evacuations from windstorms. The survey instruments shall be developed to focus on two key stakeholders:
1) the public who live in areas impacted by windstorm disasters; and
2) emergency managers who make decisions for evacuations and other safety purposes during windstorm disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, wind‑driven wildfires in the urban interface, etc.). The surveys should be designed to be utilized across different phases of the disasters to gather information such as factors that affect evacuation decision making and timing, how information is conveyed and represented along with how the information is transmitted or received including watches, and warnings and graphical products.

The surveys should also focus on the communication of the information and decision‑making process in relation to the risk assessment at different times. The developed survey instruments will be available for use in future windstorm disasters to inform best practices and other research needs.

• Reviewing existing literature to identify areas for improvement regarding evacuation practices, procedures, and compliance.
• Collaborating with a social scientist and broader team members to develop survey instruments tailored to residents and emergency managers across different phases of a disaster to improve evacuation and communication procedures.
• Ensuring surveys are adaptable for use across multiple disaster types and time periods – from pre‑event preparation through initial recovery phases.
• Presenting results at internal meetings, and occasional meetings with external stakeholders.
• Managing and maintaining research protocols, data, and documentation in an organized and compliant manner.
• Assisting with the development of instruments and packages for Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) clearances.

• US citizens preferred; currently living in the United States.
• Familiarity with the physical impacts of wind, storm surge/waves, and/or wildfire on the built environment and infrastructure.
• Familiarity with the human decision‑making processes during high‑stress, time‑sensitive events, particularly around risk assessment and evacuation.
• Experience in survey design methodology, ideally in social science research or public safety contexts.
• A PhD. in Civil or Structural Engineering, or a related field.
• Ability to clearly write technical reports.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate’s geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.

Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees’ health, life, career and retirement.

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