Associate Research Scientist (PREP0004170) Full-time

Associate Research Scientist

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.

Research Title: Analyst/Programmer for Mass Spectral Reference Data (U.S. Citizens preferred)

The work will entail: maintaining and developing widely used software and analysis methods for reference databases of mass spectra and related data. This involves highly complex Microsoft Windows user interface software for both internal and external use in accessing this data as well as for identifying compounds in complex chemical mixtures. It also involves developing software specifically designed for mass spectral data quality analysis. Spectra include electron ionization with retention indices, tandem electrospray of small molecules and peptides. This work also involves the implementation of chemical structure-based analysis as well as the building of varied library analysis tools to assist NIST research programs.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Maintain and extend a highly complex Microsoft Windows user interface program for enabling the use of NIST Mass Spectral Reference Libraries for compound identification
• Maintain and extend user interfaces and data analysis algorithms for interpreting mass spectra in terms of chemical structure
• Create consensus mass spectral libraries for specialized NIST applications
• Create interfaces between programs written by other NIST staff and external distributors of NIST data to the NIST library program

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. Required
• Demonstrated expertise in developing highly interactive, complex Microsoft Visual C++ chemical structure based scientific database software
• Demonstrated expertise in chemical structure analysis by computer
• Demonstrated facility in applying mass spectral fragmentation rules for electron ionization, electrospray tandem and related ionization methods
• Experience in working closely with research scientists and scientific programmers