Investigations of the Lunar Polar Regions

Organization National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Reference Code 0347-NPP-NOV26-GSFC-PlanetSci How To Apply All applications must be submitted in Zintellect Please visit the NASA Postdoctoral Program website for application instructions and requirements: How to Apply | NASA Postdoctoral Program (orau.org) A complete application to the NASA Postdoctoral Program includes: Research proposalThree letters of recommendationOfficial doctoral transcript documents Application Deadline 11/1/2026 6:00:59 PM Eastern Time Zone Description About the NASA Postdoctoral 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: This opportunity is for projects that will support advancing our understanding of the lunar polar regions through the analysis of topography, imagery, illumination and thermal conditions, and geophysical modeling. A wide range of research is possible, from the analysis of existing lunar datasets, to the development of new modeling approaches, and to simulations of possible future measurements. Examples include: determination of high-resolution shape models using shape-from-shading or novel machine-learning methods; studies of high-resolution shape models for geophysical and geological studies through e.g., modeling or morphological analysis; illumination and thermal modeling studies, to improve and validate existing modeling capabilities and to apply these tools to current lunar science questions such as the distribution, stability, and observability of volatiles. The analysis of datasets from LRO (such as LOLA and LROC) and other recent orbiters (e.g., Kaguya/Terrain Camera, Danuri/ShadowCam) is of particular interest. The selected candidate will work with the Planetary Geodesy group at NASA GSFC and will be able to interact with spacecraft mission teams such as LRO. Field of Science: Planetary Science Advisors: Erwan Mazarico erwan.m.mazarico@nasa.gov (301) 614-6504 Applications with citizens from Designated Countries will not be accepted at this time, unless they are Legal Permanent Residents of the United States. A complete list of Designated Countries can be found at: https://www.nasa.gov/oiir/export-control. 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 Questions about this opportunity? Please email npp@orau.org Qualifications Candidates should have an engineering or science Ph.D. in a relevant field and have relevant experience to the proposed project. Point of Contact Mikeala Eligibility Requirements Degree: Doctoral Degree.