NASA Postdoctoral Program Opportunities

• U.S. Citizens Accepted
• Lawful Permanent Residents Accepted
• Foreign Nationals Accepted - 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.

The Luminescence Imager for Exploration (LIfE) is a microfluidic-based fluorescence and dark field microscope for the detection and study of biomarkers and structural indicators of microbial life on Ocean Worlds (e.g., Enceladus, Europa). LIfE collects samples onto sub-micron filters and analyzes them using fluorescence imaging with sub-micron spatial resolutions enabling the detection and quantification of bacterium-sized structures. During sample analysis, LIfE operates using two modes of fluorescence analysis: 1) Utilizing fluorescence stains specific to key structural biomarkers, i.e., typical membrane constituents such as fatty acids, phospholipid bilayers, and membrane proteins. 2) Using DUV and visible light emitting diodes for the excitation of native luminescence in the samples. The inclusion of a DUV-excitation source allows LIfE to operate without the use of stains which may not bind to the structural components of extraterrestrial life forms. To prepare for future potential implementation on NASA missions, instrument calibration, characterization, and testing in relevant environments is being performed. Of particular interest are the development of novel strategies to meet instrument science requirements including, on-board image processing and integration of electrochemical sensors for both habitability assessment and instrument automation and control. These studies, as well as advanced novel methods to utilize LIfE capabilities to study chemical and biological systems relevant to NASA Astrobiology Program goals are of interest.