NRC Postdoctoral Research Associateships at the NCNR

The NIST Postdoctoral program is limited to U.S. citizens and is administered by the National Research Council, the principal operating arm of the National Academies of Science and Engineering. The positions offered through this program provide competitive salaries (currently about $66K), freedom to pursue innovative research, and supplements ($5.5K) for travel and supplies. There are two deadlines for applications per year (Aug. 1 and Feb. 1), and decisions are made within two months of the deadlines. Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens.

Application Process

1. If you are interested in applying, you should look at the research programs at NIST in which you may wish to participate. If you have a group or advisor already in mind, we suggest you contact that group or person as a first step. Research highlights in our Annual Reports may also guide you in choosing an advisor and in formulating a suitable research project. Research at the NCNR spans a very wide range, including biology, soft matter, chemistry, materials science, condensed matter physics, and engineering. A list of potential projects can be found by starting from the National Academies Research Associateship Program search page http://www.nationalacademies.org/pga/rap/, with keywords such as neutron, scattering, the name of an NCNR scientist, etc. The program rules are given in detail on this website.
2. If you and a qualified NIST scientist can agree on a prospective research agenda, you work together to develop an application for an associateship. The application, including descriptions of proposed, current and past research, can be submitted online or by mail.

Former NRC post-docs comment on their experiences:

"At the NCNR, I found I could do cutting edge research and meet an amazing cross section of the scientific community"     Matt Woodward, Analyst, U.S. Department of Defense

"A terrific opportunity to broaden my research experience and make valuable contacts"     Yumi Ijiri, Professor of Physics, Oberlin College

"The NCNR is a fun place to do serious science"     Young Lee, Professor of Physics, Stanford University

"Great science, great facility, great people!"     Tammy Amos, Global Innovation Center Leader, Dupont