Issue 20-11, March 15, 2020
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- LPSC 2020 VIRTUAL TOWN HALL MEETINGS
- THE PLANETARY CUBESATS/SMALLSATS SYMPOSIUM
- NASA SMD VIRTUAL TOWN HALL MEETING RE: FY2021 BUDGET REQUEST
- MEPAG MEETING 38 (APRIL 15-17) TO BE FULLY VIRTUAL
- JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
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LPSC 2020 VIRTUAL TOWN HALL MEETINGS
These virtual meetings will be streamed live through the USRA Ustream channel.
Update on Planning for the National Academies’ Decadal Survey in Planetary Science and Astrobiology
March 16, 2020
12:00–1:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -5)
Colleen Hartman, Director, National Academies Space Studies Board
Lori Glaze, Director, Planetary Science Division, NASA
David H. Smith, Study Director, National Academies Space Studies Board
During the virtual meeting, e-mail questions for the panel to: [email protected].
NASA Planetary Science Division (PSD) R&A Town Hall
March 17, 2020
12:00–1:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -5)
Stephen Rinehart, Director, NASA Planetary Science Division, will give a status update
followed by a Q&A session.
During the virtual meeting, e-mail questions for the presenter to: [email protected].
NASA Headquarters Briefing
March 19, 2020
1:00–3:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -5)
Representatives from NASA will address the community.
Lori Glaze, Director, Planetary Science Division
Jacob Bleacher, Chief Exploration Scientist, Advanced Exploration Systems Division,
Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate
Steven Clarke, Director, Joint Agency Satellite Division, Science Mission Directorate
During the virtual meeting, e-mail questions for the presenter to: [email protected].
LPSC 51 virtual town hall meetings will be recorded in their entirety and posted
on the LPSC 51 website.
http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2020/
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THE PLANETARY CUBESATS/SMALLSATS SYMPOSIUM
June 25-26 2020
An activity of Goddard’s Planetary Cubesat Science Institute (PCSI)
The Planetary CubeSats/SmallSats Symposia are held annually at NASA’s Goddard
Space Flight Center, with the participation of CubeSat/SmallSats scientists and
developers. Discussions include current missions, mission concepts, and opportunities
for future mission selections. The sessions also include panel discussions about strategic
and technical aspects of planetary CubeSats/SmallSats, and an afternoon poster session
provides mission proposers the opportunity to meet with vendors and suppliers.
Abstract submission deadline is April 3rd, 2020.
The Planetary CubeSats/SmallSats Symposium is open to presentations on all aspects
of CubeSats/SmallSats missions. The science organizing committee would like to encourage
the submission of abstracts that focus on the following aspects of CubeSats/SmallSats missions:
- Updates on currently planned and funded CubeSats/SmallSats missions
- Future CubeSats/SmallSats mission concepts
- Instrument development for CubeSats/SmallSats missions
- New technology to enable CubeSats/SmallSats missions
- Technological challenges and solutions for CubeSats/SmallSats missions
- Current and Future Flight/Development Opportunities for CubeSats/SmallSats missions
https://cubesats.gsfc.nasa.gov/symposium.html
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NASA SMD VIRTUAL TOWN HALL MEETING RE: FY2021 BUDGET REQUEST
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) will hold a virtual town hall
meeting with Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen and
his leadership team at 11 a.m. EDT Friday, March 20, to discuss the
president’s FY 2021 budget request for the directorate and other
updates.
Members of the science community, academia, the media, and the public
are invited to participate. Participants are encouraged to use the
agency’s website to hear audio of the presentation and view the slides.
To view the presentation and slides, go to:
To ask a question, participants can go to:
https://arc.cnf.io/sessions/s6mw/#!/dashboard
Users must provide their first and last name, organization, and can
submit their own questions or vote up or down a list of questions
submitted by others. The meeting leaders will try to answer as many of
the submitted questions as possible.
Participants also can listen to the audio portion of the meeting by
calling 888-989-9718 or 312-470-7045 and using the passcode TOWNHALL.
No questions will be taken over the phone. A replay of the call will
be available for one month at 888-277-5024 or 203-369-3021.
For NASA’s Fiscal Year 2021 request, visit:
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MEPAG MEETING 38 (APRIL 15-17) TO BE FULLY VIRTUAL
The April Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) Meeting is
converted from an in-person meeting to a fully virtual meeting. This
meeting will be held over the same dates (April 15-17, 2020), within
~8:30 am-1:00 pm PDT each day.
For more information, please go to:
https://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/meeting/2020-04/MEPAG%2038-2nd%20Information%20Circular_updateMarch.pdf
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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
A) POSTDOC OPPORTUNITY IN PLANETARY GEOSCIENCE AT JET PROPULSION
LABORATORY
The successful applicant will join Dr. Yang Liu in continuing the study
of volatiles in impact melt pockets in Martian meteorites and in
participating in new studies of planetary materials. The successful
applicant is also encouraged to design and conduct his/her own research
with opportunities to use laboratories at the JPL and the Division of
Geological and Planetary Science at Caltech. The applicant will be
expected to carry out the research project, give presentations at
professional meetings, and prepare publications on their work.
Experience with mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, and laboratory
measurements are desirable.
If interested, please use the above link to submit your applications.
B) POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR POSITION AT NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
The Habitability, Atmospheres, and Biosignatures Laboratory
(http://www.hablab.net) in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary
Science at Northern Arizona University seeks a postdoctoral scholar to
join the research group. The HABLab works primarily on understanding
techniques for characterizing exoplanetary atmospheres for signs of
habitability and life. These investigations are carried out using
spacecraft data as well as a variety of tools for modeling planetary
climate and radiation. We seek candidates that will explore
applications of retrieval analyses to simulated direct imaging
observations of Earth-like exoplanets to constrain surface properties
and habitability. The successful candidate will carry out research
related to the qualifications listed. The successful candidate is
expected to publish scientific papers and may choose to mentor
undergraduate and/or graduate students (though this is not required).
Applications are due by March 30, 2020. For additional information,
please visit:
C) RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN DATA SCIENCE AND SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMING
Deadline: March 24, 2020
The department of Geophysics of GFZ German Research Centre for
Geosciences invites applications for 1 position of Research Associate
in Data Science and Scientific Programming in the group “Magnetospheric
Physics”.
Candidates should have a Ph.D. in space physics, plasma physics, or
related field. Experience in programming (in particular in code
development), as well as a strong knowledge of programming languages
and operating systems is also required. Experience in machine
learning, data mining, and data assimilation is a plus.
For more details please see:
https://tinyurl.com/PDGFZ-2020
The work will be performed in the context of the EU Horizon
2020-funded consortium PAGER led by GFZ Potsdam. The primary aim of
PAGER is to provide space weather predictions initiated from
observations on the Sun and to predict radiation in space and its
effects on satellite infrastructure. The PAGER team will combine
state-of-the-art models covering all the way from the Solar surface to
the Earth’s inner magnetosphere. We will also run ensembles of
physics-based and machine-learning models to make probabilistic
predictions of the space weather conditions 1-2 days in advance.
For questions please contact Prof. Shprits: [email protected]
D) POSTDOCTORAL OR GUEST RESEARCHER POSITION IN SPACE WEATHER
Swedish Institute of Space Physics is looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow
or Guest Researcher in Space Weather.
The position is related to space weather research in the field of
space plasma physics.
The research is based on the investigation of the space weather link
between the dynamics of the terrestrial magnetosheath during coronal
mass ejection passages using multi-spacecraft observations (solar
wind monitors, Solar Orbiter, Parker Solar Probe, MMS, THEMIS, Cluster,
Geotail), and the resulting geomagnetic responses measured by ground
observations (IMAGE, MIRACLE, SuperMAG and SuperDARN) at high
latitudes.
The position is available at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics,
Uppsala, Sweden, for two (2) years.
Last Application Date: April 17, 2020
Contact: Emiliya Yordanova, Andrew Dimmock
(emiliya.yordanova at irfu.se)
More information can be found here:
E) POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN PLANETARY MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS
Applications are now being accepted for several postdoctoral scientists
to work with the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Planetary
Magnetospheres Laboratory in Greenbelt, MD. The position is funded
through the CRESST II.
Position 1: The postdoctoral researcher(s) will work for either the
Juno or MAVEN projects with the primary responsibility of conducting
analysis and publishing the magnetometer results. In addition, each
candidate will assist with the magnetometer data validation and
calibration.
Position 2: The data scientist’s primary responsibility will be to
develop a data production pipeline. This involves taking raw
magnetometer data, applying the appropriate transformations and
calibrations, and producing the final public data products. The data
scientist is encouraged to pursue their own research interest.
Candidates for this position should have earned a Ph.D. in physics,
astronomy, planetary science, space physics, geosciences, or related
fields. Successful candidates should also have expertise with one or
more programming languages commonly used in space science and a
demonstrated track record in analyzing spaceflight data, especially
magnetometer data and experience with the NAIF SPICE software
package is highly desired.
Applications received by April 30, 2020 will receive the best
consideration. Link to full job posting:
F) POSTBACCALAUREATE POSITIONS IN INSTRUMENT MODELING, ATMOSPHERIC
MODELING, AND LABORATORY STUDIES WITH THE NASA SELLERS EXOPLANET
ENVIRONMENTS COLLABORATION (SEEC)
Applications are now being accepted for multiple short-term
postbaccalaureate research positions to support the Sellers Exoplanet
Environments Collaboration (SEEC) at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, MD. The position is funded through the Southeastern
Universities Research Association and the CRESST II.
Positions available with the Sellers Exoplanet Environments
Collaboration span a variety of research areas. Successful candidates
will be chosen to work on one of four research areas. Visit the job
posting to receive additional information about the research areas:
Applications received by April 9, 2020, will receive best
consideration. Start date by April-June, 2020, preferred with an
initial employment term of 1 year that will be extended to an annual
renewal contingent on performance. Recent graduates with experience
coding in any of the areas are invited to apply. We encourage
applicants who are considering applying to a graduate program in
astrophysics, planetary science or related disciplines in the near
future, and who wish to expand their research experience in the interim
to also apply.
G) POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW IN GEODYNAMICS AND GEOSELENIC RESEARCH
The Stephen Cheeseman Geoselenic Research Project was established in
2020 to address fundamental questions about the interactions within the
Earth-Moon system. The project will focus on the integration of multi-
disciplinary research as it pertains to improving our understanding of the
relevance of the Moon for Earth processes including plate tectonics, core
and mantle convection/geochemistry, magnetohydrodynamics, the geodynamo
and the evolution and future of life on Earth. The project is collaborative in
nature and will give the postdoctoral fellow (PDF) opportunities to continue
existing and establish new collaborations with international research groups
in geodynamics and planetary sciences. The PDF is expected to conduct original
research within the scope of this project and serve as an integrator of geoselenic
research. Preference will be given to applicants that demonstrate a willingness
to conduct integrative research to solve fundamental science questions. The
research background can be theoretical, numerical or applied, but must address
global scale processes. The project will further fund one PhD student and host
an international workshop in geoselenic research during the tenure of the PDF.
Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent in Earth or planetary sciences, geophysics,
geodynamics, geochemistry or other relevant science disciplines. A strong record
of peer-reviewed publications in the applicant’s research field and presentations
at international research conferences is expected. Applicants should submit (1)
a cover letter, (2) a curriculum vitae, (3) a 2-page research statement on how their
proposed research contributes to the project, and (4) names and contact information
of three references.
The application deadline is June 15, 2020. Submit applications to
Inquiries about the Stephen Cheeseman Geoselenic Research Project or details
about the position can be requested from Prof. Vicki Remenda ([email protected])
or Prof. Alexander Braun ([email protected]).
H) ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN GEOCHEMISTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
The Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences in the Irving
K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at the University of British Columbia,
Okanagan Campus, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in
Geochemistry. The appointment is expected to start on July 1, 2020 or soon thereafter.
Applicants are expected to have a record of research excellence showing innovative
applications of geochemistry to solve geological problems in metamorphic petrology,
isotope geochemistry and/or geochronology. The successful candidate will be a major
user of analytical facilities in the UBC Okanagan Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element
Research (FiLTER) and will have demonstrated expertise with one or more instruments
housed in FiLTER, which includes a Cameca SX5-FE electron probe microanalyser,
a Tescan Mira 3 XMU scanning electron microscope with EBSD, a Photon Machines
Analyite Excimer laser, an Agilent 8900 QQQ ICP MS, and a ThermoFisher Element
XR sector field ICP MS. The individual must have a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences or a closely
related discipline and should articulate in their application how their research direction
will complement existing strengths in the department.
The full advertisement for this position and details for submission of applications are
available at: http://www.hr.ubc.ca/careers-postings/faculty.php (Job Opening ID# 37092).
The deadline for applications is April 4, 2020. All positions are subject to budgetary approval.
We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on
any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief,
religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit,
or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however,
Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
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