Infrared Spectroscopy and Radiation Chemistry of Ices in the Cosmic Ice Laboratory

About the program

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

Our research group specializes in studying the spectra, the chemistry, and the physical properties of ices relevant to comets, icy satellites and planets, and the coatings of dust grains in the interstellar medium. Although many cosmic ices are dominated by H2O, they also contain “prebiotic” molecules such as CO, CO2, CH4, NH3, and CH3OH. In studying these molecules we are probing the early, ancient chemistry which eventually led to the origin of life.

Opportunities

• Proton irradiation of ices and ice mixtures to determine destruction rate constants of various organic compounds of astrobiological interest (amino acids, nucleobases, PAHs, etc).
• Proton irradiation of ices to determine formation pathways of molecules of interstellar, planetary, and/or astrobiological interest.
• The determination of the near-, mid- and far-infrared optical constants of ices of interstellar and planetary interest.
• Low-temperature reaction chemistry in ices relevant to Europa, Titan, Enceladus, and other places.

Location

Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland

Field of Science

Planetary Science

Advisors

• Perry Gerakines
  Perry.A.Gerakines@nasa.gov
  301-286-9179
• Reggie Hudson
  reggie.hudson@nasa.gov
  301-286-6961
• Christopher Materese
  christopher.k.materese@nasa.gov
  301-286-7502

Eligibility

• U.S. Citizens;
• U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (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

Contact

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