Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Cap-Exempt H-1B Position — No lottery required
**PREP Research Associate** **CHIPS Funded Project.** 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:** Research Engineer **The work will entail:** The candidate will join a multidisciplinary team of scientists working to advance nondestructive defect detection metrology for advanced semiconductor packaging by developing reference artifacts and benchmark datasets. The candidate will contribute to designing CAD models, running X-ray computed tomography (XCT) simulations, and performing XCT reconstructions to generate datasets. The candidate will develop a Python script or package to automate these processes. Additionally, the candidate will utilize a generative modeling process created by the team to help generate 3D models with seeded defects. The datasets will be used to evaluate defect detection and image segmentation algorithms, including those based on deep learning principles. The candidate may contribute to sample preparation and nondestructive and destructive measurements. The incumbent will analyze the resulting measurements, perform image processing, and extract meaningful information to support the research goals outlined in the experiment plan. They will organize the measured and analyzed datasets for publication, communicate with the team, and share the results at conferences and in publications. **U.S. Citizen Preferred** **Key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:** § Design 3D models for si