Postdoctoral researcher
NIST’s Engineering Lab (EL) Systems Integration Division, Life Cycle Engineering Group is
seeking a researcher in product design for microelectronic circularity. We are expanding our
research to develop ways of maximizing the value of U.S. microelectronics and semiconductors
based on principles of circular economy. Microelectronics are valued for their processing
capabilities and the materials that they contain. Our team, together with our external partners, is
developing new practices for design that will better enable recovery.
The design research aspects of the work explore new ways to integrate circularity assessment
into the design of products containing microelectronics. We are developing new metrics and
measurement methods to allow designers to assess and plan for the recoverability of these
complex products. Additionally, this work focuses on the identification of information and data
needs to provide decision-support to consumers and enable end-of-life stakeholders (recyclers,
municipalities, waste managers, infrastructure providers) that improve the volume of valuable
microelectronics to be recovered.
The methods developed in this work will be used to inform future product design and may be a
basis for corporate or open standards. We will drive the state of the art forward with advanced
techniques in life cycle assessment, simulation, and AI- and data-driven design. Results will
include a suite of decision support tools (metrics, models, and published research) and new
standards to improve recovery outcomes, thereby strengthening supply chain resiliency via new
material sources, and enabling stakeholders to respond dynamically to material availability
challenges in the future.
We seek experienced research candidates with a background in products design, micro and
nano engineering, and/or supply-chain interoperability, and a Ph.D. (preferred), M.S. and/or
related experience with a record of research in peer-reviewed publications.
US citizenship needed.
Engineering for a Circular Economy(CHIPS Funded Project)
Desired skills/technical knowledge include a combination from the following:
- Understanding of micro/nano fabrication processes for chips and first-principle modeling
- Experience with systems thinking and supply chain modeling
- Familiarity with LCA and related forms of assessment used to evaluate environmental
performance of products - Programming, data analysis and visualization with Python and/or MATLAB
- Experience or study of product design and engineering principles for sustainability.
Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
- Conduct a landscape survey documenting the state of the art in chip and microelectronic design,
including existing efforts for reuse, recycling and refurbishment and current methods to quantify
financial and environmental impact - Partner will stakeholders in the semiconductor ecosystem to develop and test fit-for-purpose
recovery metrics - Outline best design practices for circular and sustainable microelectronic products and support
the development of documentary standards to disseminate findings - Integrate end of life data with computational design to enable better recovery outcomes for
microelectronics - Publish and present findings through internal reports, peer-reviewed conferences, and academic
journals