Strengthening NASA Air Quality Observations with Low-Cost Sensor Data

Organization National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Reference Code 0154-NPP-NOV26-ARC-EarthSci 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: NASA Inexpensive Network Sensor Technology for Exploring Pollution (INSTEP) is a low-cost air quality sensor network utilized in combination with NASA remote sensing datasets to analyze air quality on high spatiotemporal scales and provide actionable benefits to stakeholders and communities. We are looking for a postdoctoral assistant with research interests in low-cost sensors and satellite data fusion to join our group. This will involve working with hardware, firmware, and data to improve our sensors’ performance and relevance to other NASA-sponsored air quality datasets. The successful candidate will help build, calibrate, and deploy low-cost air quality sensors and analyze data from the INSTEP network to maximize scientific and societal benefits. Sensor data fusion along with remote sensing instruments (Pandora, AERONET) and satellites (TROPOMI, TEMPO) will serve to validate satellite measurements of air quality events. This position will also afford opportunities to contribute to the NASA Earth Action portfolio, including stakeholder engagement to support the application of air quality observations for environmental monitoring and decision making. Field of Science: Earth Science Advisors: Kristen Okorn kristen.e.okorn@nasa.gov (650) 960-5137 Questions about this opportunity? Please email npp@orau.org Qualifications Position Requirements: PhD in the physical sciences or engineering, preferably Chemistry or Atmospheric Sciences.Previous laboratory and/or field experience.Experience working with analytical instrumentation for atmospheric measurements.Experience in developing and implementing innovative sensor calibration techniques.Ability to work as a member of a team on various projects.Good written and verbal communication skills.Occasional deployment travel may be necessary. Additional Desired Qualifications: Demonstrated success in collaborative environments.Experience with NASA remote sensing data and machine learning.Experience communicating scientific concepts to wide audiences, including developing capacity-building resources or stakeholder engagement. Point of Contact Mikeala Eligibility Requirements Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen Degree: Doctoral Degree.