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PREP Graduate Research Assistant Position at NIST in the Superconductive Electronics Group under the RF Technology Division (PREP0003172)

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 Superconductive Electronics Group under the RF Technology Division.

Summary of Position: 

Design, simulate, fabricate and cryogenically test RF classical and quantum superconductive electronics circuits for quantum information applications as part of PhD thesis program.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Design classical and quantum superconductive electronic circuits for quantum information applications.
  • Assemble, integrate, program, and automate microwave electronics and measurement systems for collecting data from cryogenic experiments.
  • Collect data, analyze it, fit to simulations, and present data for presentations to internal and external groups.
  • Collaborate with team members to plan and execute experiments.
  • Review, discuss, and present literature on experimental topics relevant to experiments.
  • Ensuring that results, protocols, software, and documentation have been archived or otherwise transmitted to the larger organization.

Required Qualifications: 

  • Working toward a PhD in Physics at CU.
  • A bachelor’s degree in physics, engineering, or a related field.

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: 

  • Six (6) months of experimental research experience in quantum information or other physical science or engineering field.
  • Familiarity with multiple scripting languages.
  • Ability to develop prototypes of tools needed to analyze data.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.
  • Work independently and as part of a team.
  • Experience analyzing data and preparing reports.

Length of Term (if applicable): 

  • Start date: 08/18/25
  • End date: 08/18/30

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.