Laboratory Studies of Astrophysical Ices and Organic Compounds
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
Our group at the Ices, Ice Irradiation, and Organics Laboratory for Astrobiology (I3OLAB) studies the composition, evolution, and the physical and chemical properties of interstellar and planetary materials. More particularly, we focus on the evolution of astrophysical ices (on interstellar grains in dense molecular clouds, on grains in protoplanetary disks, in comets, and on the surface of icy worlds in our Solar System) and their interaction with energetic radiation (photons and energetic particles).
Requirements
- Doctoral degree in a relevant field
- Research proposal
- Three letters of recommendation
- Official doctoral transcript documents
Qualifications
We are interested in how radiation processes lead to the formation of organic residues which contain a large variety of organic molecules including compounds of astrobiological interest. Such astrophysical ice analogs are produced in the laboratory under conditions that are realistically close to those expected in the interstellar medium, protoplanetary disks, and the surface of cold Solar System objects by adjusting experimental parameters such as the temperature and the pressure.
Skills
Experience with laboratory instrumentation, analytical techniques such as infrared (IR) spectroscopy and microscopy, gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), fluorescence microscopy, and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy.
Benefits
Unique research opportunities to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. Fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.
Pay
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Pay
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Contact Information
For more information on the Astrophysics & Astrochemistry Laboratory, visit our Web site at http://www.astrochem.org.
Field of Science
Cosmochemistry
Advisors
- Michel Nuevo - michel.nuevo@nasa.gov (650) 604-0789
- Scott Sandford - scott.sandford@nasa.gov (650) 604-6849
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
Questions
Please email npp@orau.org
Contact Person
Mikeala