Giant planet moon and small body volatile evolution

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.

Description

This NPP opportunity is to work on modeling and data analysis from the Cassini/Huygens, Voyager 2, Rosetta, and New Horizons missions. We are interested in applicants that can evaluate the evolution of volatiles due to processes in the interiors, on the surfaces, and/or in the atmospheres of the moons of giant planets, of dwarf planets, Centaurs, and large Trans Neptunian Objects. The proposed work will be interdisciplinary and can involve geochemistry, photochemistry, geomorphology, hydrothermal processes, and/or atmospheric dynamics. We are interested in applicants that complement GSFC’s existing skill sets in volatile composition and processes, atmospheric modeling, and data analysis techniques. This gives applicants a wide variety of options to support our research. Areas of focus could include image analysis; evaluation of cometary and atmospheric composition observations; modeling of surface, interior, and/or atmospheric processes; and/or investigation of how existing or near-term observations and facilities can inform future studies of volatile evolution on giant planet moons and small bodies in the solar system. Ability to apply the implications of these results to the formation of the solar system and exoplanet systems is highly valuable.

Field of Science

Planetary Science

Requirements

• Research proposal
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official doctoral transcript documents

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship
• U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
• Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status
• 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

• Interdisciplinary approach to planetary science
• Data analysis and modeling skills
• Knowledge of geochemistry, photochemistry, geomorphology, hydrothermal processes, and atmospheric dynamics
• Ability to apply findings to the formation of the solar system and exoplanet systems

Benefits

• Unique research opportunities at NASA Centers, Headquarters, or affiliated institutes
• Competitive one- to three-year fellowships
• Opportunities to advance NASA’s missions in various scientific fields

Pay

N/A

Schedule

N/A

Application Instructions

A complete application to the NASA Postdoctoral Program includes:

• Research proposal
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official doctoral transcript documents

Please visit the NASA Postdoctoral Program website for application instructions and requirements: How to Apply | NASA Postdoctoral Program (orau.org)

Contact Information

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

Advisors

Not specified