Associate Research Scientist (PREP0004160) Full-time

Associate Research Scientist

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: Laboratory Automation for Cell-Based Assays (U.S. Citizens preferred)

The Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking qualified persons (U.S. citizens preferred) to contribute to the development of advanced measurement infrastructure for biomanufacturing and the automation of biological assays. These activities underpin distributed manufacturing concepts made possible by the emergence of biofoundry networks and cloud laboratories. The selected candidate will join a dynamic, multidisciplinary team developing transferable cell expansion processes and assay performance specifications for automated systems to ensure reliability in next-generation platform manufacturing. The candidate will contribute to the unique measurement and tooling needs required to facilitate innovation in the U.S. bioeconomy.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Conduct innovative research in transferable manufacturing systems for living-cell reference materials.
• Translate experimental designs into automated laboratory instrumentation programs.
• Design and execute experiments, analyze data, and interpret results.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across the institute.
• Write and publish manuscripts for peer-reviewed and open-science mediums.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Cell Biology, Synthetic Biology, or a related field.
• Experience working with mammalian cell cultures, specifically induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
• Experience writing and executing programs on large laboratory automation systems (e.g., liquid handlers, automated microscopes) for cellular measurements.
• A track record in interdisciplinary research, particularly within automated laboratory frameworks.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and the ability to travel occasionally for collaborations.
• Present findings at national conferences and institutional meetings.