Advanced Materials and Processing Research

About the role

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.

This position is located at NASA Langley Research Center in the Advanced Materials and Processing Branch. It involves fundamental and applied research into the structure/property/durability relationships of such aerospace materials as metals, intermetallics, ceramics, polymers, nano-structural materials, bio-materials, composites and coatings. Examples of the work will vary depending on each specific proposal and supporting project.

Responsibilities

• Conducts fundamental or applied research into the structure/property/durability relationships of such aerospace materials as metals, intermetallics, ceramics, polymers, nano-structural materials, bio-materials, composites and coatings.
• Conducts research and testing directed toward the scientific understanding of, and the engineering application of materials for aerospace applications.
• Research includes experimental and theoretical investigations of structures/materials related to their mechanical and physical behavior, and synthesis of advanced materials with tailored structures/microstructures and nanostructures to meet specific material property requirements for specific applications.
• The research purposes include the advancement of the scientific knowledge of all classes of materials and composites and the establishment or modification of new principles and theories of the behavior of materials.
• Research includes the engineering application of materials processing, fabrication technology, performance evaluation, and material selection.
• The development of new experimental techniques, special diagnostic equipment, and novel analytical procedures.

Research objectives

• Fundamental understanding of metals, intermetallics, ceramics, polymers, nanostructured materials, bio-materials, composites and coatings.
• Evolution of concepts for synthesis of new or improved materials and composites having potential for use in high-performance aerospace applications.
• Computational and theoretical materials modeling to develop advanced materials, explain or characterize unique features of behavior of materials, and/or to predict performance, as well as time and temperature trade-offs.
• Research and technology development in the engineering applications of such materials to advanced aerospace systems.
• Materials, properties, processes, and fabrication technology evaluation for aerospace applications.

Field of Science

Aeronautics

Advisors

• Tyler Hudson
  tyler.b.hudson@nasa.gov
  (757) 864-3342
• Christopher Wohl
  c.j.wohl@nasa.gov
  (804) 380-0373

Point of Contact

Mikeala

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Doctoral Degree