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PREP Graduate Research Assistant Position at NIST working in Physics and Quantum Technologies (PREP0003152)

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). 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.


The Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) is a special partnership between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder. PREP provides research opportunities to CU undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers with a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in NIST labs to gain research experience alongside NIST scientists.

Research Location: 

At NIST in the High-Speed Waveform Metrology Group under the RF Technology Division.

Summary of Position: 

The research assistant will contribute to a team which is attempting to design, build, and operate the world’s first optical network of superconducting quantum computers. This interdisciplinary project entails the design and construction of nonlinear optical systems capable of generating quantum states of light, precision measurements of those states, and the distribution of this light as an entanglement resource. At the nodes of the network, novel microwave-optical transducers operate in a cryogenic environment to establish the vital interconnect with the qubit states of superconducting quantum processors. Through a NIST cleanroom fabrication effort, the transducers are being engineered into reliable, modular, telecom-ready devices. The research assistant will have the opportunity to become involved with multiple aspects of this project which match their research interests while strengthening an array of skills through hands-on laboratory tasks, design challenges, data analysis, and theoretical considerations.

Skills you may learn: 

  • Design and construct optical parametric amplifiers and entangled photon pair sources to generate non-classical, squeezed states of light.
  • Design and construct stable opto-mechanic launch systems to efficiently couple non-classical light into and out of resonant optical cavities.
  • Implement feed-back control systems to stabilize optical frequency, phase, polarization, and mechanical motion for coherent optical interactions and measurements.
  • Perform precision homodyne tomography of squeezed optical and microwave states to quantify their suitability for network operation.
  • Perform precision optical and electrical measurements of novel transducer devices in various operating modes and interpret results as a quantum information channel.
  • Learn to design and fabricate telecom-ready, opto-electro-mechanical transducer devices in a semiconductor cleanroom facility.
  • Operate and maintain a cryogenic dilution refrigerator capable of millikelvin temperatures.
  • Provide technical input to research problems which have been recognized as critical obstacles to progress in quantum networking.
  • Prepare journal manuscripts, attend research conferences, and present technical results.
  • Work as a member of a collaborative, interdisciplinary team.

Required Qualifications: 

Bachelor’s degree in the field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics with current enrollment in a graduate degree program.

Minimum Qualifications: 

  • Applicants must be enrolled full-time at the University of Colorado Boulder master’s degree or doctoral degree program in physics, mathematics, engineering, or closely related program.
  • Must currently possess a 3.0 GPA or higher.
  • Must be a degree seeking student through CU Boulder.

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • Background knowledge of quantum physics and quantum information theory.
  • Experience with optics such as ultra-stable lasers, entangled light sources, filter cavities, phase-locked loops, balanced detection, low-noise photoreceiver design, polarization optics, and optical modulators.
  • Experience with measurement techniques such as coherent detection, quantum tomography, beam diagnostics, laser diagnostics, noise characterization, and microwave scattering parameter measurements.
  • Familiarity with semiconductor clean room fabrication methods such as photolithography, electron beam lithography, plasma etching, molecular beam epitaxy, and chemical vapor deposition.
  • Knowledge of cryogenics and dilution refrigerator operating principles is advantageous.
  • Experience with classical optical communications, fiber optics, and timing synchronization is desirable.
  • Ability to code with, or learn to code with MATLAB, LabView, and Python is required.
  • Familiarity with optical system design software (e.g. Zemax, Code V, OSLO) is advantageous.
  • Experience with electrical circuit design, soldering, and debugging is required.
  • Familiarity with opto-mechanic design, computer-aided design, and machine shop skills is desirable.
  • Familiarity with building materials, hardware, and basic construction and assembly methods.
  • Comfortable working with hands doing manual tasks.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.

Length of Term (if applicable): 

  • Start date: 5/12/25
  • End date: Degree Completion, contingent upon NIST funding

Salary (contract pay format):

  • Pre-comps: $3,041 per month
  • Post-comps: $3,202 per month

Benefits: 

  • Graduate Research Assistant contract pay based on pre-comps/post-comps rate.
  • Tuition, fees, and insurance paid for by PREP during the academic year while in PREP.

If interested, please send your resume/CV to Lisa Valencia at recruitprep@colorado.edu. The finalist will be required to submit their resume/CV, transcript, two letters of recommendation, and the PREP application.

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3) and 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c)
Purpose: The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor’s degree holders, graduate students, master’s degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.
PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering,
electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitate administrative functions of the PREP Program.
Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.
Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use of the information you submit for the purpose stated.