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PREP Undergrad Student Assistant III - in the Thermodynamics Research Center Group under the Applied Chemicals & Materials Division at NIST (PREP0003364)

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 Thermodynamics Research Center Group under the Applied Chemical & Materials Division.

Summary of the Position:

The selected applicants will assist with collecting thermodynamic, thermophysical, and thermochemical data from open literature, converting these data into a machine-readable format, analyzing and assessing the captured data, and testing software, all under the supervision of a scientist or engineer, to support the NIST Alloy Data repository.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Converting published experimental thermophysical property data from various formats into a well-structured machine-readable electronic format, ensuring accuracy and attention to detail.
  • Investigating the provenance of cited literature in databases such as Web of Science, Scifinder, or Google Scholar and recording relevant information in a citation management platform.
  • Determining suitable structures for the available data within the framework of our guided data capture tool.
  • Analyzing heterogeneous data sources and metadata.
  • Performing quality control checks to ensure that the data is accurate, complete, and consistent. Identifying and flagging potential errors or inconsistencies in the datasets.
  • Presenting and discussing unclear or questionable cases with colleges and supervisor.
  • Interacting with other organizational units to retrieve in scope literature information.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Major in Metallurgy, Engineering, Material Physics, or a related field.
  • Proficiency in MS office products, MS Excel in particular.
  • Knowledge of Thermodynamic principles and material properties.
  • Ability to adapt to new unfamiliar software products used in-house.
  • Attention to detail, data quality control, analytical capabilities, and ability to work independently.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.
  • Strong organizational and time management skills.

Length of Term (if applicable):

  • Start Date: 6/9/2025
  • End Date: 6/8/2026

Eligibility to be in PREP: 

  • Must currently possess a 3.0 GPA or higher.
  • Must be a degree seeking student through CU Boulder.

Hourly Rate: 

  • $22.35

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

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.