Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Cap-Exempt H-1B Position — No lottery required
PREP Research Associate 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: Wind and Coastal Engineering Researcher The work will entail: The position involves data collection, analysis, and documentation of windstorm and coastal hazards and impacts to the built environment. It will support five projects at NIST: the Design for Extreme Winds and Tornadoes project in the Structural Performance under Multihazards Program, the Critical Buildings and Infrastructure Projects within the Hurricane Maria Program, the NWIRP study of Hurricane Ian, and NIST's Forward Looking Building Standards project. The work of all projects includes but is not limited to: literature reviews, development and maintenance of windstorm hazard and impact databases; geospatial analyses; production of maps and web�based geodatabases; writing reports and journal manuscripts; support for NIST�organized meetings, workshops and conferences; and participation in and presentation of research results at professional and scientific meetings and conferences, and participation in standards committees. The position also requires real-time operational support in delivery of FEMA Mission Assignments to develop maps of windspeeds within 24 hours of hurricane landfalls in the US. Key focus areas for the tornado research include tornado hazard characterization, tornado damage to critical facilities (e.g., schools, fire and police stations, hospitals), tornado damage to w