Computational Physicist

National Institute of Standards and Technology • Gaithersburg, MD

1d

About The Position

NIST is seeking a Computational Physicist to support computing infrastructure across the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML). The role provides operational administration and technical support for high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure, helping improve the performance and reproducibility of materials science workflows. The position includes supporting deployment and maintenance of CPU and GPU resources, administering projects for the NIST Center for Theoretical and Computational Materials Science (CTCMS), assisting with data management and migration, and ensuring alignment with NIST IT and security policies. The Computational Physicist works closely with senior staff and researchers to configure computing environments for MML scientists’ research needs.

This position is covered by NIST’s Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system. A trial period may be required. The appointment may be extended up to four years without further competition; certain temporary promotions may be extended up to five years or made permanent without further competition.

Requirements

• Meet the basic education requirement: a degree in physics or a related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in physics; alternatively, courses equivalent to a physics major totaling at least 24 semester hours, together with appropriate experience or additional education.
• Meet one of the additional qualification paths: one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 (ZP-II at NIST) level; three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D.; a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or a combination of graduate education and specialized experience.
• Specialized experience must include Linux system administration, HPC cluster operations, and resource management.
• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered for Selective Service.
• Be suitable for Federal employment.
• Submit transcripts to validate the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts are accepted with the application, but official transcripts are required before a final offer.
• Foreign education used to qualify must be evaluated by an accredited organization for comparability to U.S. accredited education; submit an evaluation with a course-by-course listing.

Responsibilities

• Assist in deploying, configuring, and maintaining CPU and GPU high-performance computing resources across the laboratory.
• Serve as an operational administrator for the NIST Center for Theoretical and Computational Materials Science (CTCMS), providing technical support for computational projects.
• Implement and test technical strategies to improve the performance and reproducibility of computational materials science workflows.
• Provide technical assistance for operating data management systems, including migrating data to new computing platforms.
• Collaborate with senior staff to ensure HPC infrastructure and resources are configured to meet MML scientists’ research needs.
• Maintain technical alignment of managed computational and data systems with NIST-wide IT and security policies.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for employees and their families.
• Work-life flexibilities to help employees balance responsibilities at home and at work.
• APMS pay-for-performance system with HR flexibilities intended to help recruit and retain talent.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree