Postdoctoral Power Electronics Research Engineer

Description

The Building Energy and Environment division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) anticipates a need for a postdoctoral research engineer to evaluate the reliability of emerging wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor power electronics. The goal of this project is to develop new measurement methods, test circuits, and data to address electrical, material, and mechanical degradation of WBG components via real-time characterization methods.

Responsibilities

The selected researcher will work with project PI to investigate the reliability and degradation modes of WBG chips such as GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) using various electrical and thermal measurement methods and computational approaches. The researcher’s principal tasks include:

• Building a dynamic testing apparatus for stress‑testing of power devices under high voltage transients
• Evaluate dielectric breakdown at interfaces using AC gate stress testing under realistic loads.
• Performing advanced power cycling tests to correlate electrical load stressors with thermal stress and packaging failures.
• Presenting results at internal meetings, and occasional meetings with external stakeholders.
• Writing peer‑reviewed journal articles on research outcomes.

Qualifications

Educational preferences: A Ph.D. degree is desired, but highly skilled Master of Science graduates will also be considered.

Preferred majors:

Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied or Engineering Physics.

US citizenship is preferred.

Desired skills

Experience with advanced electrical characterization techniques, circuit modeling, PCB design software, Python, MATLAB, KiCad etc. Candidates with good written and oral communication skills, good team working skills, and good analytical skills (relevant to project) are preferred.

Location & Pay

The position would be located at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, MD, USA. Possible series under which this potential position would include, but are not limited to 0850 (Electrical Engineer), 1310 (Physicist). Salary range would be that of the ZP III, Interval 1 pay range ($85,447 - $106,645 per year).

EEO Statement

The Department of Commerce is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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