Associate Research Scientist; PREP

PREP Research Associate

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). NIST recognizes that its research staff may want to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and, therefore, requires those institutions to be recipients of a PREP award. The PREP program involves staff from a wide range of backgrounds conducting scientific research across various fields.

Individuals in this position will perform technical work supporting the collaboration's scientific research.

Characterization of Tornado Loads and Their Effects on Structures

The project will focus on the characterization of tornadoes and their effects on structures, including analyzing the wind tunnel testing data from tornado simulators, developing performance-based design standard provisions on tornado loads for structural design, improving tornado uplift pressure coefficients, comparing coefficient data with boundary-layer wind tunnels and existing ASCE 7-22 provisions, and developing a national database and web interface for tornado strikes on critical facilities.

U.S. Citizen Preferred

• Developing procedures for estimating tornado loads based on experimental datasets from tornado simulators.
• Developing performance-based design standard provisions on tornado loads.
• Conducting tree-fall analysis to estimate tornado wind speeds and damage patterns.
• Improving the ASCE 7-22 tornado load provisions using field measurements and wind tunnel testing data.
• Analyzing tornado simulation data and comparing them with boundary-layer wind data measured from wind tunnel tests.

• Ph.D. in Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• Prior research experience and contributions in structural engineering, wind engineering, and scientific computing, including at least five peer-reviewed journal papers on the estimation of tornado loads and damage patterns in structural wind engineering.
• At least three years of experience with the ASCE 7 Wind Load Subcommittee for the development of the tornado load provisions in the ASCE 7 Standard.
• Prior experience in field studies or failure investigations.

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.

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