Agnostic Biosignatures and Planetary Mass Spectrometry

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.

Responsibilities

This work is intended to expand our understanding of how the chemical complexity of a molecule identified in a planetary ocean worlds environment may be an indicator of the presence of biology. We will compare the structure of organic compounds produced abiotically such as those extracted from meteorite samples with complex organic compounds produced by living systems. We will utilize tandem mass spectrometer techniques in association with a variety of separation and ionization techniques to explore the hypothesis that there is a certain level of complexity beyond which abiotic production is unlikely. This work will be done in close coordination with Dr. Sarah Johnson leading a team exploring agnostic approaches to life detection (49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 19-23 March, 2018, Contribution No. 2083, id.2294) and a research team at the University of Glasgow led by Leroy Cronin that utilizes graph theory to explore molecular complexity (Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, vol. 375, issue 2109, p. 20160342, 2017, DOI:10.1098/rsta.2016.0342).

Requirements

- Degree: Doctoral Degree. - Whether you are just starting your career or already at a senior level, ORAU offers internships, fellowships, research opportunities, and contract positions that can provide you with invaluable experience. Download the ORAU Pathfinder mobile app and find the right opportunity to propel you along your career path!

Qualifications

Eligibility is currently open to: - U.S. Citizens; - U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR); - Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status; and, - Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. at the time of application with 1) a valid EAD card and 2) I-485 or I-589 forms in pending status

Skills

- Familiarity with tandem mass spectrometry techniques - Experience with organic compound analysis - Knowledge of graph theory

Benefits

The 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.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $65,000 to $95,000 per year.

Schedule

The schedule for this position is full-time.

Contact Information

Questions about this opportunity? Please email npp@orau.org