Postdoc : Lunar Volatiles

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Details

New ideas are all around us, but only a few will change the world. That’s our focus at JPL. We ask the biggest questions, then search the universe for answers—literally. We build upon ideas that have guided generations, then share our discoveries to inspire generations to come. Your mission—your opportunity—is to seek out the answers that bring us one step closer. If you’re driven to discover, create, and inspire something that lasts a lifetime and beyond, you’re ready for JPL.

Located in Pasadena, California, JPL has a campus-like environment situated on 177 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and offers a work environment unlike any other : we inspire passion, foster innovation, build collaboration, and reward excellence.

JPL is unique among NASA Centers in that its staff are Caltech employees, yet can access NASA technical resources. Cross-discipline teamwork is standard here : colleagues across JPL's science and engineering organizations and on Caltech's academic campus often work together. Learning to speak and understand other disciplines' languages is a doorway to the creativity needed to do what has not been done before. JPL staff are encouraged to create mission concepts that address humanity's core questions through a combination of science and technology. They are supported in developing ideas into proposals and hardware, and in communicating funded missions' results to the scientific community and the broader public. JPL seeks to employ scientists and engineers who are passionate about lifelong learning and excited to both contribute to and lead team efforts. We emphasize the importance of partnering across discipline boundaries and creating a friendly, constructive work environment to overcome space exploration's challenges. The Postdoctoral scholars at JPL benefit from an informal mentoring network, an annual conference showcasing their results, a dedicated seminar series, exposure to diverse career paths, and social connections across the JPL and Caltech community for advice on housing, childcare, and other aspects of living in southern California.

JPL’s Planetary Geosciences group is seeking a postdoc who will join them in the study of volatiles in lunar igneous rocks.

The selected postdoc will focus on the following :

Characterizing the texture of lunar samples,

Determining the mineral chemistry,

Measuring volatile abundances in minerals and glasses,

Interpreting the volatile data based on the petrogenesis of the sample,

Collaboration with scientists at different institutions to place observations in regional context to answer questions about the Moon’s differentiation and evolution.

The postdoc is expected lead conference abstracts and associated presentations and write and contribute to peer-reviewed publications. The successful applicant is also encouraged to design and conduct their own research that enhances the tasks above.

Required Qualifications :

Ph.D. in Petrology, Geochemistry, Planetary Science, or a related field

In-depth knowledge of petrography, mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry

Experience in microbeam analyses such as SEM, EMP, SIMS

Preferred Qualifications :

Knowledge of lunar science

Demonstrated proficiency in writing peer-reviewed publications

Demonstrated experience in writing / developing research grants / proposals

The appointee will carry out research in collaboration with the JPL advisor, resulting in publications in the open literature.

Target start date for this position is March – April 2025.