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PREP Graduate Research Assistant Position at NIST in the High-Speed Waveform Metrology Group under the RF Technology Division (PREP0003979)

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 the 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 or those states, and the distribution of this light as an entanglement resource. At the nodes of the network, novel microwave-optical transducers are operated 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 associate 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.

Key Responsibilities: 

  • Design and construct entangled photon pair sources to generate non-classical, squeezed states of light.
  • Design and construction stable opto-mechanic launch systems to efficiently couple non-classical light into and out of cryogenic optical cavity systems.
  • Implement feed-back control systems to stabilize optical frequency, phase, polarization, and mechanical motion for coherent optical interactions and measurements.
  • Perform precision optical homodyne tomography and correlated noise measurements of squeezed optical 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.
  • 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 collaborate, interdisciplinary team.

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

Qualifications: 

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

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Foundational knowledge of electricity and magnetism, 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, optical modulators, precision alignment, and spectrometers.
  • Experience with measurement techniques such as beam diagnostics, laser diagnostics, noise characterization, spectroscopy, coherent detection, quantum state tomography, and microwave scattering parameter measurements.
  • Knowledge of cryostats, dilution refrigerators, and vacuum systems is advantageous.
  • Experience with classical optical communications, fiber optics, and timing synchronization is desirable.
  • Ability to code with, or learn to create 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: 4/15/26
  • End Date: 4/11/27

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 of 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.
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