X-ray Scattering to Determine Soft Matter Materials Structure
This project uses advanced X-ray scattering techniques to analyze the nanoscale structure of soft materials and link it to their properties.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: February 1, 2025 | May 1, 2025 | August 1, 2025 | November 1, 2025
Funding Amounts: Stipend approximately $82,764 per year plus $3,000 travel allowance; typical appointment duration 2 years.
Summary: Postdoctoral fellowship at NIST to advance X-ray scattering techniques for analyzing nanoscale structures in soft matter materials and linking them to functional properties.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens with a doctoral degree earned within the last 5 years; requires contacting a Research Adviser prior to application; applications reviewed quarterly.
Description
This fellowship opportunity supports postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) focused on advancing X-ray scattering methods to determine the nanoscale structure of soft matter materials such as polymers, composites, and biomaterials. These materials derive their functional properties—mechanical, electrical, optical, and transport—from specific nanometer-scale structural characteristics.
The research involves developing realistic real-space models of material structure and fitting forward-simulated scattering patterns to experimental data. Innovative aspects include the use of polarized resonant soft X-rays, highly coherent X-ray radiation, real-time in situ measurements of structure formation, and integration of computational materials structure models to propose real-space structures.
This project aims to push the frontiers of X-ray scattering experiments and analysis, providing new insights into the relationship between structure and function in soft matter materials.
