Associate Research Scientist (PREP0004602)

General 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: Next Generation Building Standards - Convective Wind Hazards

Standard development organizations (SDO) and communities are beginning to address how future hazards and conditions may affect the design and performance of the built environment, and are seeking improved design and construction practices. NIST has long-standing expertise in reducing natural hazards risk and enhancing the resilience of the built environment. NIST is strategically developing a rigorous technical basis for future hazards and conditions to support engineering practice and the resilience of buildings, infrastructure, and communities. This research will help identify and address research needs for developing next generation codes, standards, and tools.

The work will entail:

A senior researcher or a faculty member is sought with expertise in data collection, forecasting, and modeling of convective wind hazards to identify methods and practices for the incorporation of future hazards, conditions, and data into engineering design codes, standards, and tools to ensure the continued resilience of buildings, infrastructure, and communities.

U.S. Citizen Preferred

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Technical contributions and finalization of two reports: a research roadmap and state-of-the-art assessment of research gaps and needs.
• Developing nonstationary models for convective wind hazards for application in building standards that account for temporal variations in natural hazards and future conditions.

Qualifications

• A Ph.D. in Meteorology, or a related field
• Expertise/experience in data collection, forecasting, and modeling of convective wind hazards and future conditions for engineering design standards
• At least 5 years of relevant experience.
• A strong record of research, publications, and strong communication skills
• The ability to work both independently and as part of a larger, multi-disciplinary team to achieve project objectives, and meet project deadlines and reporting requirements