Postdoctoral researcher

Project
PREP0004938
Overview

A postdoctoral fellow is sought for a position in Structural Engineering to contribute to cutting-edge
work on the development of a relational database for structural components. The researcher will
collaborate closely with a multidisciplinary team to create a unified database of the seismic performance
of structural components to inform the development of future codes and standards. This open-source
SQL repository will capture experimental and reconnaissance data on damage, capacity, and repair
needs for various structural systems, with the potential to extend to other hazards. This opportunity is
part of a high-impact research effort focused on advancing the science of seismic performance and data
integration for next-generation codes and standards, directly supporting research transparency and data
reuse in performance-based earthquake engineering.

Structural Engineering & Data Integration

Qualifications
  • Ph.D. in Civil/Structural Engineering or a closely related field, with a strong understanding of the
    behavior of structural systems.
  • Strong background in both experimental testing and numerical analysis of various structural
    components and systems.
  • Strong understanding of U.S. codes and standards.
  • Proven experience in advanced data analysis and the development of relational databases (SQL
    database development required).
  • Experience developing and managing Python codebases in git.
  • Demonstrated capability or familiarity with developing front-end software tools and user
    interfaces.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Strong publication record in leading peer-reviewed journals.
Research Proposal

Key Responsibilities:

  • Synthesize knowledge and extract design, response, damage, and repair data for structural
    components from experimental programs and reconnaissance reports.
  • Develop and manage a robust relational database focused on the seismic performance of
    structural components.
  • Develop consequence models for various structural systems to demonstrate the real-world
    application of the unified database.
  • Design and implement front-end tools or user interfaces to facilitate data accessibility for
    researchers and practitioners.
  • Leverage data analysis to unify underlying structural data used to develop design limits by codes
    and standards for functional recovery and other performance targets.
  • Develop computational workflows of U.S. building code design requirements to quantify the
    impact of proposed updates to building design.
  • Prepare high-quality research papers for peer-reviewed journals, and present findings at
    national conferences.
NIST Sponsor
Siamak Sattar
Group
Earthquake Engineering Group
Schedule of Appointment
Full time
Start Date
Sponsor email
Work Location
NIST (Gaithersburg, MD) / Telework
Salary / Hourly rate {Max}
$85,000.00
Total Hours per week
40
End Date