NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. We're looking for a Physicist to join our team! This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.

Duties

The Materials Science and Engineering Division performs leading-edge measurement science research, working closely with our stakeholders to impact a broad range of science and technology areas. Our core areas of competence are grounded in the discipline of materials science and engineering (structure-property-processing relationships) with specific focus on metallurgy, polymer science, and functional materials. This expertise has expanded in recent years to include nanoscale materials (2D materials), complex fluids (colloids, emulsions), advanced devices (electronic, magnetic, energy), and advanced manufacturing (additive, biomanufacturing). In this position, you will: Carry out a program of thin film growth of Magnetoresistive random access memory metrological samples for the purpose of correlating thin film measurands with functional device performance metrics. Conduct a detailed analysis of the microstructure-processing-function relationships of deposited thin films to develop correlations between processing strategies. Conduct detailed analysis of the Heisenberg exchange strength, using experimental design principles to quantify the magnitude of the Heisenberg exchange strength in these samples. Deliver optimized thin film wafers as material libraries for potential lithographic definition as nanodevices.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment
• Bargaining Unit Position: No
• Transcripts required

Qualifications

Individual Occupational Requirements Basic Requirements: Degree: physics; or related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in physics. OR Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in physics totaling at least 24 semester hours, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In either 1 or 2 above, the courses must have included a fundamental course in general physics and courses in any two of the following: electricity and magnetism, heat, light, mechanics, modern physics, and sound. In addition to the basic requirements,applicants must also have 1 year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 (ZP-II at NIST) level.Specialized Experience is defined as: Experience in designing and constructing scientific instrumentation. Expertise in the physics of electricity and magnetism. OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree as defined in the basic requirements. OR A combination of graduate education and specialized experience as defined in the additional requirements. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. Applicant Reconsideration

Education

This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required before a final offer of employment.


Use of foreign education for qualifications. An accredited organization must evaluate education completed outside of the U.S. to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with course-by-course listing) is required with your application.

Contacts

• Address Materials Science and Engineering Division 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899 US
• Name: Evelyn Carter-Hopkins
• Email: [email protected]