Materials Engineer

Summary

The Department of Commerce ranked top 5 in the 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government among large agencies for the 12th year in a row! The ranking showcases the Department's continued commitment to increasing employee engagement, employee satisfaction, and positive perceptions towards diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Come join our team!

Duties

Participate as a microscopist in a team studying electron-solid interactions to improve quantitative scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Design and contribute to the fabrication of multi-technique reference samples with sub-50 nm features. Perform measurements on reference samples using SEM and STEM-in-SEM techniques. Measure and assess the state of the measuring instruments during experiments. Collaborate with internal and external partners to conduct measurements using high-energy STEM and other advanced microscopy techniques. Interpret data to determine the shapes and dimensions of features from experimental results. Present experimental methods and results at professional conferences. Write and submit results for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals and online databases. Provide technical leadership in planning, designing, and implementing experiments to compare different electron microscopy techniques. Exercise innovation in designing experiments to compare SEM measurement techniques for metrology in electronics manufacturing.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR Combination of education and experience -- College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT) , or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. 2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. 4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.) IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 (ZP-III at NIST) level. Specialized experience is defined as: Conducting quantitative measurements on reference samples using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) to analyze feature shapes and dimensions Assessing and documenting the calibration and operational state of electron microscopy instruments during experiments to maintain measurement precision and improve measurement accuracy Contributing to peer-reviewed articles on the use of SEM and STEM Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. Applicant Reconsideration