PREP Research Associate
This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). NIST recognizes that its research staff may want to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and, therefore, requires those institutions to be recipients of a PREP award. The PREP program involves staff from a wide range of backgrounds conducting scientific research across various fields. Individuals in this position will perform technical work supporting the collaboration's scientific research.
Research Title:
Readout/Adaptive Control for NV-Diamond Vector Magnetometry
The work will entail:
The Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to help build a deployable, calibration-free, SI-traceable vector magnetometer based on diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers-technology with the potential to enable secure, GPS-free navigation when GPS is degraded, denied, or unavailable. This is a chance to work at NIST, where the mission is to deliver world-leading measurement science and standards with direct national and economic impact, and to do so in a highly collaborative, well-resourced research environment. This project sits at the intersection of quantum sensing, real-time control, and data-driven inference. The postdoc will lead efforts on parallelized readout and real-time adaptive control for high-sensitivity measurement of 3D magnetic fields and temperature-capabilities needed to push magnetic navigation beyond today's ~km-scale uncertainty toward practical, robust performance. This position is ideal for someone excited to translate cutting-edge quantum sensing into a field-ready instrument, while contributing to NIST's broader effort to make next-generation navigation and timing technologies more trustworthy, secure, and SI-linked.
U.S. Citizen Preferred
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
 Developing and implementing real-time, parallel readout schemes for vector magnetometry and thermometry using diamond NV centers
 Designing and deploying adaptive measurement and control algorithms (e.g., Bayesian/adaptive protocols) to improve sensitivity and measurement efficiency
 Building and validating numerical simulations of adaptive sensing strategies, including performance vs. computational-cost tradeoffs
 Integrating adaptive algorithms with experimental hardware for multi-channel, real-time device control and readout
Salary Range
The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.
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Background Checks
The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check including education verification.
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Vaccine Requirements
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The following additional vaccine requirements may apply, depending upon your campus. Please contact the hiring department for more information.
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