This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, thus requires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

Basic research leading to the development of novel indoor localization and tracking methods, algorithms, and systems.
Evaluating the performance of such methods, algorithms, and systems via modeling and simulation.
Performance evaluation via the development of system prototypes, when warranted.
Test and evaluation of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) indoor localization solutions.
Literature survey of pedestrian navigation techniques in indoor environments.
Assessment of the efficacy of 5G wireless technology and indoor localization techniques, particularly in the context of public safety scenarios.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

PREP is a special partnership between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder. PREP provides research opportunities to CU undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers with a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in NIST labs to gain research experience alongside NIST scientists.

The particular group that needs a researcher is the Advanced Communications Research Group under the Communications Technology Laboratory at NIST.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Reading scholarly papers on indoor localization and understanding their contributions and how the proposed systems work.
Writing code for modeling, simulation, and performance evaluation of indoor localization systems.
Developing novel indoor localization systems.
Publishing the research results and making technical presentations on the work done.
Ensuring that results, protocols, software, and documentation have been archived or otherwise transmitted to the larger organization.

What You Should Know

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3) and 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c)

Purpose: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor’s degree holders, graduate students, master’s degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitate the administrative functions of the PREP Program.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use the information you submit for the purpose stated.

What We Can Offer

The salary range for the full-time Postdoctoral Associate position is $67,500 - $90,000 annually.
The salary range for the full-time Research Associate position is $74,000 - $135,000 annually.
Onboarding/relocation assistance may be available, however, if within a 12-month period you exercise your right to willfully terminate your employment with the University of Colorado, you hereby agree to reimburse the department for your relocation expense.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be ambitious. Be pioneering. Be Boulder.

What We Require

Postdoctoral Associate: A doctoral degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or other related fields with 0 – 4 years of post-doctoral degree experience.
Research Associate: A doctoral degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or other related fields with 5+ years of post-doctoral degree experience.

What We Would Like You to Have

The prospective applicant does not have to be an expert in localization. However, good knowledge of wireless communications, digital signal processing, and computer algorithms is required. If necessary, the applicant selected for the position will be trained in indoor localization.
Postdoctoral Associate: Good computing skills and proficiency in some programming languages, such as C/C++ and Python, and MATLAB is required.
Research Associate: Proficiency in programming languages such as C/C++, Python, and MATLAB is required, along with good computing skills.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
The ability to develop prototypes of indoor localization systems is a plus.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

Resume/CV
Cover Letter

(Optional) Transcripts/Proof of Degree: If you are selected as the finalist, your degree will be verified by the CU Boulder Campus Human Resources Department using an approved online vendor. However, if your degree was obtained outside of the United States, please submit an English-translated version as an Optional document.

During the application process, you will need to enter contact information for a reference. We will request the letter of recommendation immediately following your application.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until February 9th, 2026.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

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