Instrument Design & Engineering for the Airborne Meteorological Measurement System

Description

The Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) is a state-of-the-art airborne instrument for measuring accurate, high resolution in situ state parameters such as pressure, temperature, and three-dimensional wind vectors. These key meteorological measurements enable our understanding of atmospheric dynamics, chemistry and microphysical processes. MMS measurements are critical for investigating a variety of atmospheric mesoscale (e.g., gravity waves) and microscale (e.g., turbulence) phenomena. The MMS group in the Atmospheric Sciences Branch of the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center has a long history of providing research-quality, in situ meteorological measurements on multiple platforms as part of over 30 airborne missions since the 1980s.

Responsibilities

• Work primarily with hardware, with possible opportunities to develop software (C, Python, Fortran) to modernize the legacy MMS instrument.
• Contribute to scientific data analysis.
• Participate in NASA-sponsored flight campaigns.
• Develop secondary projects fostering collaborations with other researchers both at NASA Ames and externally.

Requirements

• PhD in electrical engineering or a closely related field.
• Previous laboratory and/or field experience.
• Experience developing and working with analytical instrumentation, preferably for meteorological or atmospheric measurements.
• Ability to work as a member of a team on various projects.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to travel for field campaigns.

Qualifications

• 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.

Skills

• Strong background in electrical engineering or a closely related field.
• Experience with meteorological or atmospheric instrumentation.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Willingness to travel for field campaigns.

Benefits

• Unique research opportunities within NASA.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities to collaborate with leading researchers.
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.

Pay

• Salary range: $65,000 - $75,000 per year.

Schedule

• Full-time, 40 hours per week.

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.

Contact Information

For questions about this opportunity, please email npp@orau.org.