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PREP Graduate Research Assistant Position at NIST in the Guided Wave Electromagnetics Group under the RF Technology Division (PREP0003420)

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 Guided Wave Electromagnetics Group under the RF Technology Division.

Summary of the Position:

University of Colorado Boulder invites applications for a position which is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Professional Research Experience program (PREP) in support of microwave impedance measurements.

Key Responsibilities: 

Microwave and RF measurements. Such work will be carried out in close collaboration with partners at NIST as well as industry partners, government laboratories, and colleagues at other universities. The position will require publishing findings in peer reviewed journals, presenting the work at project meetings and scientific conferences, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, and contributing to reports for external sponsors. The candidate must be proficient in at least one type of programming language for scientific computing (e.g., MATLAB, python, C++). Candidate must be able to learn measurement and interpretation of microwave scattering parameters.

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: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, physics, or related field.
  • Basic experience with RF measurement equipment.
  • Basic experience with uncertainty analysis.
  • Basic experience with scientific computing.
  • Basic experience with statistical analysis.
  • Characterization of RF devices.
  • Experience with electromagnetic simulator programs.
  • Measurement and interpretation of electrical properties using probe station.
  • Laboratory safety training.
  • Strong oral and written communication in English language.

Length of Term (if applicable):

  • Start Date: 09/1/25
  • End Date: 10/1/27

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, one letter 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.