NASA Postdoctoral Program Opportunities

• U.S. Citizens Accepted
• Lawful Permanent Residents Accepted
• Foreign nationals who are in the U.S. at the time of application and on a valid J1 visa Accepted;
  Foreign nationals, asylees or refugees in the U.S. at the time of application with a valid EAD card and pending I-485 or I-589 forms Accepted.
  Note: At this time, GSFC does not accept NPP applications from citizens of designated countries unless they are Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S. The Designated Countries List is available at https://www.nasa.gov/oiir/export-control

Far-infrared interferometers will enable us to learn how planetary systems form and how the conditions for habitability develop; to characterize the family of extrasolar planetary systems by imaging the structure in debris disks; and to understand the formation, merger history, and star formation history of galaxies. To pave the way for future space-based interferometers, we developed the Wide-field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT), a sub-scale model of a space-based far-IR interferometer. WIIT will remain dormant for two years while waiting for a Roman Space Telescope test program to complete, but it has already yielded valuable data. We are using WIIT to develop, demonstrate, and learn the practical limitations of wide-field spatial-spectral interferometry, a key technique for future space-based interferometers such as the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT) and the Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS). The technologies and techniques developed under this program will also have application to future exoplanet missions as well as NASA Earth and Planetary science missions. The successful candidate will have experience with aperture synthesis algorithms and interferometric instrumentation. Basic familiarity with far-infrared astrophysics will be helpful but is not essential. We are currently seeking candidates with experience modeling and analyzing data from Michelson interferometers. Specific topics of interest are: (1) development and validation of algorithms for spatial-spectral image synthesis and related analysis of WIIT data; and (2) development of analytical instrument performance models.