Postdoctoral Fellow (PREP0004774)

Description

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:

Research Engineer

 

U.S. Citizen Preferred

The work will entail: 

We are looking for someone who has knowledge of current civil and coastal engineering practices, as well as familiarity or expertise within one or more of the following technical areas: Computational wind, wave and surge modeling with applications to coastal engineering; storm surge modeling; hurricane risk modeling for buildings or infrastructure; hurricane loading; or structural damage analysis or modeling.

If selected, you will work with a larger NIST team to conduct computational and/or experimental research to study the effects of coastal hazards, including wind, storm surge, waves, and flooding, on the coastal built-environment to support the Disaster and Failures Studies (DFS) Program’s Hurricane Ian Study.

The person selected will work with the Engineering Lab’s Materials and Structural Systems Division (MSSD) Structures Group with a focus on coastal engineering.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Providing expertise and support in hydrodynamic simulations, computational fluid dynamics with applications to coastal engineering for (1) characterization of the risks posed by hurricanes and other extreme wind events on the coastal built-environment and (2) quantification of their effects on the performance of buildings (structural system and envelope), other structures, and coastal communities.
• Participation in field data collections related to Hurricane Ian or similar future events when warranted.
• Supporting the development and dissemination of Hurricane Ian’s research results through presentation at conferences and publication of authoritative journal papers and reports. 
• Participation in standards and codes development organizations, national and international collaborations to champion the implementation of NIST research results in codes, standards, and guidelines.
• Supporting the development and/or revision of standards and codes for improved resilience of the built-environment against wave- and surge-induced hazards.

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Qualifications

§  This position requires a minimum of a PhD degree in Civil or Coastal Engineering or a related field. 

§  At least one year of specialized experience. Specialized experience is described as experience in applying computational techniques for simulation and characterization of loading due to hurricane hazards - including wind, storm surge, and waves - and their effects on coastal buildings, infrastructure, and communities.

§  Ability to run simulations of hurricanes with coastal engineering models.  Experience with Xbeach or FUNWAVE would be most useful.   

§  Strong oral and written communication skills.

Application Instructions

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 for 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 discipl