Issue 25-04, Feb 24, 2025
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- AAS MESSAGE- TAKE ACTION NOW TO SUPPORT ASTRONOMICAL SCIENCE PROGRAMS
- RENEW YOUR AAS AND DPS MEMBERSHIP
- STAND UP FOR SCIENCE 2025 ANNOUNCES NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
- CHOIR MUTUAL AID FOR ASTROPHYSICS & SPACE SCIENCES
- AAS POLICY AND EDUCATION OFFICE HOURS
- EPSC-DPS JOINT MEETING 2025 CALL-FOR-SESSIONS
- DPS COMMITTEE SEEKS WEBMASTER & PRESS OFFICER APPLICANTS TO BEGIN TERM IN SEPTEMBER 2025
- AOGS SESSION PS18: PLANETARY DATA IN THE BIG DATA ERA – ARCHIVES, TOOLS, AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
- ICDSS2025 SPECIAL SESSION: APOPHIS 2029
- STUDENT TRAVEL GRANT FOR 8TH INTERNATIONAL PLANETARY DUNES WORKSHOP
- APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR INAUGURAL CLASS OF B4PHD SCHOLARS
- 2025 PI LAUNCHPAD: FROM SCIENCE IDEA TO NASA MISSION IN PERSON WORKSHOP
- PLANETARY RINGS WORKSHOP SERIES KICKOFF FEBRUARY 28TH
- NEW HORIZONS SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT WEBINAR
- TWO UPCOMING EUROPLANET WEBINARS
- SAVE THE DATE: JUICE SCHOOL AT LES HOUCHES, FRANCE
- 2025 NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE SUMMER SCHOOL APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 18, 2025
- SCHWEICKART PRIZE: NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
- FIRST SOCIALIZED ANNOUNCEMENT: PROCESS IN UNDERSTANDING THE PLUTO SYSTEM: 10 YEARS AFTER FLYBY
- SUPERCAM MARS DATA WORKSHOP TUESDAY, MARCH 11 AT LPSC 2025
- CURRENT TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL AND ICARUS
- JOBS, POSITIONS, AND OPPORTUNITIES
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AAS MESSAGE- TAKE ACTION NOW TO SUPPORT ASTRONOMICAL SCIENCE PROGRAMS
Following up on the DPS statement posted in our previous newsletter, we would like to bring to your attention the following message from the AAS.
“Over the last several weeks, at AAS we have seen significant threats to funding and agency programs that are essential to the astronomical sciences. We need your voice to urge Congress to support robust, uninterrupted funding to enable world-leading science through NASA, NSF, and the DOE Office of Science. Every voice counts.”
“Supporting a talented workforce and a range of scientific endeavors is critical for achieving scientific excellence. Right now, the United States’ global leadership in the sciences is at stake. Our research, missions, and facilities operate on long-term, stable investments, and disruptions will lead to setbacks that will take years to recover from. We need to act now to protect our scientific agencies from severe budget cuts and the cessation of critical programs.”
https://aas.org/advocacy/get-involved/action-alerts/action-alert-2025-support-science
“We have provided an example phone and email script to help you craft your message. The most effective action would be to both email and call your representatives, but if you can only do one, a phone call is more likely to have an immediate impact. Please email us at [email protected] if you have any questions before reaching out to your representatives. Please note that any messages with crude or inflammatory language will not be passed on.”
“Thank you for advocating for your research and for the US astronomical community.”
Message transmitted by the AAS
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RENEW YOUR AAS AND DPS MEMBERSHIP
The DPS committee and the AAS staff and community thank you for being an AAS/DPS member last year. For those who have not yet renewed for 2025, it’s not too late!
If you are unsure of your membership status, it’s easy to check. Go to my.aas.org and log in with your AAS username and password. Look for the framed Profile-at-a-Glance section on the right and confirm the Paid through date. If it’s 31 December 2024 or earlier, it’s time to renew.
If you have questions about your benefits or need assistance with your login or renewal, please email the membership team or call (202) 328-2010 x109. You can also send an e-mail to dpssec.org
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STAND UP FOR SCIENCE 2025 ANNOUNCES NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
WHAT: A rally to defend science as a public good and central pillar of social progress.
WHY: Science is for everyone–and benefits everyone. When the federal government supports
scientific research through taxpayer funding, it fuels innovation, creates jobs, and sustains the
world we live in. From purified water to the polio vaccine to the cell phone you might be reading
this on, science has significantly impacted our lives in countless ways.
We’re mobilizing to keep science free from interference and censorship by government officials.
We’re also mobilizing because attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion, and access are attacks on
science, and vice versa. Science is at its best when it includes everyone and when it stands to
improve people’s lives.
It’s time–as ever–to stand up for science, for everyone who does it, and for everyone who
benefits from it.
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WHO: Everyone! If your life is better because of science, this rally is for you.
WHERE: Washington, DC & state capitals nationwide
WHEN: March 7, 2025
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Forthcoming details about local rallies: www.standupforscience2025.org
Press contact: [email protected]
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CHOIR MUTUAL AID FOR ASTROPHYSICS & SPACE SCIENCES
In direct response to the federal funding freeze outlined by OMB Memorandum M-25-13 and any ensuing directives imposed by the current administration which may prove harmful to our space sciences community, the choir collaboration is establishing a mutual aid program to offer financial assistance to those who are negatively impacted. Many of our colleagues in physics, astronomy, and planetary sciences may find themselves without a paycheck due to these orders.
To stand with our community in physics, astronomy, and planetary science currently affected by federal grant funding freezes and cancellations (e.g., the NSF funding freeze), we with support from Black In Astro, the Astro Poverty Survey, and Movement Consulting have organized a mutual aid initiative for our colleagues. Please join us in supporting our community by giving aid, or requesting aid.
https://www.choircollaboration.com/mutual-aid
Thank you for joining us in solidarity, hope, and building a community of care.
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AAS POLICY AND EDUCATION OFFICE HOURS
As the landscape for our field continues to evolve, the AAS Public Policy and Education staff will be making themselves available for discussions and to provide information as they are able through regular “office hours.” This page will be updated regularly with information about office hours over the next few weeks.
Optional RSVP (which will allow us to send you a calendar invitation): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdC49eYPPlGsX3ibyv-0q1I8b6hRBS5hvS2fNvK4VKoIE2zMw/viewform?usp=header
Current Office Hours Schedule:
Friday, 21 February: 3-4 pm ET (zoom)
Tuesday, 25 February: 10:30-11:30 am ET (zoom)
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EPSC-DPS JOINT MEETING 2025 CALL-FOR-SESSIONS
Dear colleagues,
The EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2025 will be held at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, Finland on 7–12 September 2025.
The Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) is the annual meeting place of the Europlanet community, which invites contributions from planetary scientists from all over the world. First held in Berlin in 2006 and regularly attracting 1,200 participants, EPSC is the largest planetary science meeting held in Europe. It covers the entire range of planetary sciences with an extensive mix of talks, workshops, and poster sessions while providing a unique space for networking and exchange of experiences. In 2011 EPSC joined forces for the first time with the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) and they held their first joint meeting in Nantes, France. The intent of the joint meetings is not only to connect the European and US planetary science communities, but also to consolidate two major meetings, which should motivate planetary scientists from all over the globe to attend. This year will mark the third iteration of a joint Europe-based meeting. Given the record number of participants at the last two EPSCs we expect to exceed 2000 participants this year.
The success of our meetings is founded on the excellence of the scientific sessions held by the session conveners. We therefore encourage you to submit session proposals through the conference website by 5 March 2025.
For more information please see:
https://www.epsc-dps2025.eu/information/call-for-sessions.html
To suggest a session go to:
https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/epsc-dps2025/provisionalprogramme
Looking forward to a great joint meeting this year in Helsinki !
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DPS COMMITTEE SEEKS WEBMASTER & PRESS OFFICER APPLICANTS TO BEGIN TERM IN SEPTEMBER 2025
The Press Officer will serve a three-year term starting at the EPSC-DPS meeting in September 2025 but will start shadowing the current Press Officer imminently. The Press Officer will coordinate the DPS press conferences at the annual meetings as well as prize press releases. Candidates should be a full DPS member as of September 2025. Any questions about the position can be sent to [email protected]
Likewise, the Webmaster will serve a three-year term starting at the EPSC-DPS meeting in September 2025. The new Webmaster will start shadowing the current Webmaster imminently as well. Candidates for Webmaster are not required to hold DPS membership, and the term is generally three years. Any questions about the position can be sent to [email protected].
If you’re interested in either position, please send a CV and a brief statement of interest to [email protected]
Officer responsibilities are listed here: https://dps.aas.org/leadership/officer-responsibilities
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AOGS SESSION PS18: PLANETARY DATA IN THE BIG DATA ERA – ARCHIVES, TOOLS, AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
Abstract deadline extended to February 28, 2025
This session is about planetary data science, including archiving standards, organizations, data services and accessibilities, indexing and searching, data mining, and applications of big data technology and AI. Enormous volumes of data are being generated daily in planetary science. Data technologies are playing more and more important roles in planetary research, especially in the big data era. Long-term preservation and sharing of planetary data are essential for the research. Several data archiving organizations are providing archiving to a broad variety of data. Standards are being revised, archive organization and services are being improved, and international collaborations are becoming more essential. The goal of this session is to provide a forum to present and discuss the new developments in the related activities, technologies, and concepts related to planetary science data to facilitate effective and efficient planetary data archiving and sharing around the globe in the future. We welcome abstracts on any data-related topics.
Conveners: Jian-Yang Li (Sun Yat-sen University, China), Ludmilla Kolokolova (University of Maryland College Park, USA), Mark Bentley (ESA), Yukio Yamamoto (JAXA), Young-Jun Choi (KASI)
https://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2025/public.asp?page=submissions.asp
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ICDSS2025 SPECIAL SESSION: APOPHIS 2029
Abstract deadline: March 3, 2025
The 2025 International Conference of Deep Space Sciences (ICDSS2025) will be held in Hefei, China, from April 7 to 11. This conference brings scientists worldwide to discuss new developments in deep space sciences. Specifically, we are organizing a special session focused on the Apophis 2029 encounter. The session will feature a one-hour online dialogue with the Apophis T-4 Years Workshop to share insights, pose questions, and raise points for discussions from both meetings. We welcome abstracts in all aspects related to the Apophis 2029 encounter opportunity, including science mission concepts, engineering development, ground- and space-based observations, studies of the changes on the asteroid, possible interaction with near-Earth space such as magnetosphere, implications for planetary defense, related international collaborations, and the related public and educational activities, etc.
Conveners: Jian-Yang Li (Sun Yat-sen University, China), Gonzalo Tancredi (University of the Republic, Uruguay), Yang Yu (Behang University, China)
Conference website: https://planet.ustc.edu.cn/icdss2025
Abstract submission: https://planet.ustc.edu.cn/icdss2025/abstract_submission/
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STUDENT TRAVEL GRANT FOR 8TH INTERNATIONAL PLANETARY DUNES WORKSHOP
The Mars Exploration Program Office is offering funds for student travel grants for the 8th International Planetary Dunes Workshop, which will be held May 19–22, 2025 in Alghero, Sardinia, Italy: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/dunes2025/.
Eligible candidates must be a student and U.S. citizen or legal resident (e.g. attending a US institution on valid visa). They also must submit a first-author abstract for presentation at the conference. Abstracts are due March 5, and the deadline for the travel grant application is March 7, 2025: https://forms.gle/Bv8dL3Jxm95xc2rKA. Interested students with questions are encouraged to contact Dr. Serina Diniega (Mars Exploration Program Office) at [email protected].
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APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR INAUGURAL CLASS OF B4PHD SCHOLARS
If you work with undergraduate students who are thinking about graduate school in the sciences (including planetary science, astronomy, and the Earth sciences), please consider passing along the link below about Purdue’s new B4PhD (“Bridge for Pursuing Higher Degrees”) Program!
Applications for our inaugural class of B4PhD Scholars are due February 28th.
The program will include exclusive mentoring with current Purdue graduate students, who will help demystify what graduate school is all about. B4PhD Scholars will also be able to participate in an optional “Mentor Meet-and-Match” activity for them to meet with Purdue faculty whose research interests overlap with theirs.
For more information and link to application: https://purduesci.com/b4phd
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2025 PI LAUNCHPAD: FROM SCIENCE IDEA TO NASA MISSION IN PERSON WORKSHOP
Important Dates:
Applications due: April 7, 2025 11:59 PM Eastern Time
Application Instructions and Submission URL: https://go.nasa.gov/ApplyPILP25
Application Number: NNH25ZDA009L
Pre-application Virtual Information Session: February 20, 2025 2 PM Eastern Time
Workshop Dates: August 11-14, 2025
Workshop Location: Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA
Are you thinking about developing your first flight mission proposal in the next few years but have no idea where to start? Are you working or studying in any NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) discipline? If you are a scientist who would like to submit a NASA space mission proposal in the next few years but don’t know where to start, this August workshop is for you! We are interested in expanding the pool of potential NASA space mission Principal Investigators (PIs). There is no fee to attend the in-person workshop.
PI Launchpad applications and instructions on eligibility and how to apply are available on the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) https://nspires.nasaprs.com. All applications must be submitted via NSPIRES. To submit an application, an NSPIRES account is required. To create an NSPIRES account, visit https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/registration/createuser!init.do.
Please email questions to the 2025 NASA PI Launch Pad Organizers at this shared address [email protected]. Do NOT submit ANY applications or other attachments to this email address. Emails with attachments will be deleted.
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PLANETARY RINGS WORKSHOP SERIES KICKOFF FEBRUARY 28TH
Join us for an open Planetary Rings Workshop series, which will kickoff with a virtual meeting on Feb 28th at 1:30 pm ET, 12:30 pm CT, 11:30 am MT, 10:30 am PT.
The goals of the workshops series include: (1) Identifying, defining, and capturing in documents the key science questions about planetary ring-moon systems; (2) defining the types of observations that would be most beneficial to address key ring-moon science questions in missions, including Uranus Orbiter Probe; and (3) discussions on current and future research/opportunities to study planetary rings.
For questions, email Matt Hedman ([email protected]) and Tracy Becker ([email protected]).
Connection Information:
Topic: Rings/Moons Kickoff tag-up
Time: Feb 28, 2025 10:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://uidaho.zoom.us/j/81378014546
Meeting ID: 813 7801 4546
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NEW HORIZONS SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT WEBINAR
Join us on 27 February 2025, 2:30-3pm EST (11:30-12 PST,12:30-1pm MST,1:30-2pm CST)
New Horizons continues its operation, now at 61au from the Sun. Since 2015 it has made ground-breaking discoveries of the Pluto-Charon system, flown past the small contact KBO binary Arrokoth and collected phase and light curve data for some three dozen additional KBOs and the ice giants. It has also been sampling dust density throughout the solar system and studying the cosmic optical background. To raise awareness of New Horizon’s scientific impact we are beginning a new spotlight seminar series (30 min, fourth week each month) which we invite you to attend online, or watch recorded at your convenience.
Our speaker will be Tod Lauer of NOIRLab and he will be speaking on: “A Demonstration of Interstellar Navigation Using new Horizons”
Connection Link:
https://zoom.us/j/97317697636?pwd=MTAzMjJmNThTeFppR3JoYzlkUXVCQT09
Meeting ID: 973 1769 7636
Calendar for future seminars:
Recordings are archived and posted at:
https://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/index.php#Spotlight-Presentations
For questions, contact New Horizons CoI Susan Benecchi, [email protected]
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TWO UPCOMING EUROPLANET WEBINARS
Join the two upcoming Europlanet webinars:
Studying Jupiter with JUICE-MAJIS and ground-based professional & amateur instrumentation.
Speakers Davide Grassi (INAF, Italy), Patrick Irwin (Univ. of Oxford, UK) and Steven Hill (independent researcher, USA). 28 February 2025 at 14:30 UTC
Detailed description and registration:
Open Planetary Science.
Speakers Alessandro Frigeri (INAF, Italy), Nicolas Manaud (SpaceFrog, France) and Mark Wieczorek (OCA, Nice, France) 4 March 2025 at 13:00 UTC
Detailed description and registration:
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SAVE THE DATE: JUICE SCHOOL AT LES HOUCHES, FRANCE
This school is targeted (but not limited) to early career scientists. It will cover the main science topics of the JUICE mission with the goal to best prepare the future exploitation and interpretation of its data. Key topics include Jupiter, its atmosphere and magnetosphere, the icy Galilean moons (with an emphasis on Ganymede), minor moons and the dust and ring system. Ground- and space- based observations recently obtained on the Jupiter system, as well as links with exoplanet science, will also be presented. The format of the school includes tutorials, seminar-like presentations, inspirational evening talks, a poster session, a workshop on science planning and archive, and a roundtable on future missions to outer planets. Deadline for
registration and request for grants: August 15, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
https://www.houches-school-physics.com/the-school
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice
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2025 NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE SUMMER SCHOOL APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 18, 2025
Now through March 18, 2025, NASA is encouraging applications for its 37th Annual Planetary Science Summer School. Offered by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, PSSS is a 3-month long early career development experience to help prepare the next generation of planetary science and engineering mission leaders. Participants learn the process of developing a science hypothesis-driven robotic space mission in a concurrent engineering environment while getting an in-depth, first-hand look at mission design, mission life cycle, costs, schedule and the trade-offs inherent in each.
Applicants with the following education and career experience are eligible: Science and engineering Doctoral candidates (advancement to candidacy required), recent Ph.D.’s (up to three years beyond their Ph.D.), Postdocs, Junior Faculty with a Ph.D., and non-research Engineering Master-level students within six to nine months of graduation will be considered on a space-available basis.
There is no charge to attend. Open to U.S. Citizens and legal permanent residents and a limited number of Foreign Nationals from non-designated countries living within the U.S at the time of application and during the full session. We strive to create a welcoming environment where participants’ contributions and unique perspectives are valued.
Session 1: Preparatory Sessions May 8 – July 24.
Culminating Week with JPL’s Team X July 28 – August 1.
Session 2: Preparatory Sessions May 22 – August 7.
Culminating Week with JPL’s Team X August 11 – 15.
PSSS is roughly equivalent in workload to a rigorous 3-credit graduate-level course, requiring an average effort of 10-12 hours per week. Participants spend the majority of the first 10 weeks in preparatory webinars acting as a science mission team, prior to spending the final culminating week being mentored by JPL’s Advance Project Design Team, or “Team X” to refine their mission concept design, then present it to a mock review board of NASA Center experts.
To apply and learn more about the NASA Science Mission Design Schools:
http://go.nasa.gov/missiondesignschools
Joyce Armijo
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SCHWEICKART PRIZE: NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Are you a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow with bold ideas for planetary defense? The Schweickart Prize invites you to submit an innovative proposal for tackling challenges like asteroid detection, impact mitigation, space law, or public education.
The winner will be granted a cash prize of $10k USD, receive an award, be given public exposure through a press campaign, and receive mentorship by the Prize Selection Committee, including Apollo 9 Astronaut Rusty Schweickart.
The application submission deadline is Wednesday, 5 March 2025, 11:59 PM PST
Interested students are encouraged to watch our student Q&A webinars to get more information and first hand insights from the 2024 Prize Winner to the application process. Watch here: https://bit.ly/3CDi9zU
For further details, visit the official Schweickart Prize website: https://www.schweickartprize.org/for-students
Sign up for the newsletter: https://bit.ly/3PKJvqJ
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Best Regards,
Schweickart Prize Committee
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FIRST SOCIALIZED ANNOUNCEMENT: PROCESS IN UNDERSTANDING THE PLUTO SYSTEM: 10 YEARS AFTER FLYBY
The “Progress in Understanding the Pluto System: 10 Years after Flyby” meeting will be held July 14–18, 2025 at the Kossiakoff Conference Center of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.
NASA’s New Horizons mission conducted the first and only exploration flyby of the Pluto system, culminating at the closest approach on July 14, 2015. This meeting will assess advances made since then using New Horizons and all other data (ground-based, JWST, HST, etc.), as well as theory and modeling regarding all aspects of the Pluto system and the dwarf planets of the Kuiper Belt. Session topics will include: Pluto, Charon, Pluto’s Small Satellites, Kuiper Belt Dwarf Planets, Pluto and Satellite System Origins, and Past and Future Exploration of Pluto, the Kuiper Belt, and the Outer Solar System.
To be added to the mailing list to receive information about this meeting, submit an indication of interest at https://www.hou.usra.edu/meeting_portal/) by Wednesday February 19th. Registration and abstract submission will open on Thursday February 20th. The deadline for abstract submission is Friday April 18th.
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SUPERCAM MARS DATA WORKSHOP TUESDAY, MARCH 11 AT LPSC 2025
The Perseverance/SuperCam instrument team will host a data user workshop at the Lunar & Planetary Science Conference. It will be at 5:00-6:45 pm Tuesday, 3/11 in the Indian Springs room of the Woodlands Marriott Waterway Conference Center. The workshop is for people
outside of the team who are interested in using the publicly available data and/or collaborating with others on the data. Data sets include visible & near infrared (VISIR) passive spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and derived elemental chemistry, time-resolved remote Raman and luminescence spectroscopy, acoustic data from the microphone, and imaging. The day of the week and time of the workshop will be posted in early 2025. The SuperCam team has collected nearly four years of data from hundreds of targets in Jezero
crater on Mars, and it is available at:
https://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/mars2020/supercam.htm
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CURRENT TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL AND ICARUS
The current issues for both DPS-affiliated journals are here:
The Planetary Science Journal:
https://iopscience.iop.org/issue/2632-3338/6/2
Icarus:
Icarus | Vol 428, In progress (1 March 2025) | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
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JOBS, POSITIONS, AND OPPORTUNITIES
Job seekers and employers are encouraged to browse DPS’s job listings and advertise open positions **for free** on the DPS job board.
Full details for several new positions can be found on the DPS job board.
A summary of recent job announcements and postdoc opportunities are listed below.
- Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor Survey Scientist – Due Mar 29, 2025
NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor is a planned mission (launch: September 2027) with a goal of finding, identifying, and characterizing potentially hazardous asteroids in our Solar System. The Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences is an academic unit within the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences.
The NEO Surveyor survey scientist’s high-level responsibilities include:
- Assist the Principal Investigator and Science Team in developing the NEO Surveyor survey plan, which determines where the Observatory points as a function of time.
- Interface with the NEO Surveyor Science Data System (NSDS) archive to access NEO Surveyor image and catalog data, and work with the NSDS team to maximize the ability to link individual NEO Surveyor detections of small body candidates.
- Interface with the NEO Surveyor mission system team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Physics (LASP), and ensure that the teams at JPL and LASP produce uplink sequences that match the desired survey plan.
- Interface with the Minor Planet Center to ensure that the survey plan produces the best possible orbits for small body candidates detected by NEO Surveyor.
More information on the position, including qualifications, compensation range, benefits and how to apply are provided in the full position description: https://jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/6856
- Postdoctoral Research Associate: (Exo)planetary Atmosphere – University of Arizona Lunar & Planetary Laboratory – Due Mar 24, 2025
The Lunar & Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona has an opening for a Postdoctoral Research Associate I in the field of modeling of planetary atmospheres. Research areas of interest include atmospheric escape from rocky planets, chemical kinetics of early Earth, Venus, Mars, and analogous exoplanets, and interior-atmosphere interactions on rocky worlds; candidates are encouraged to reach out to Prof. Ranjan in advance of their application to cooperatively identify specific research topics of mutual interest. Applicants should have previous experience modeling the atmospheres of planets or exoplanets, although a variety of backgrounds may be relevant. Candidates with expertise in 1D hydrodynamic escape of rocky planet atmospheres are especially encouraged to apply. The position is for a period of up to three years, renewable annually contingent on satisfactory performance reviews.
Position is opened until filled, and first review of applications will begin 03/24/2025. UA LPL is a world-class department and a very stimulating environment. We have strong connections to missions and the next generation of telescopes, as well as to our colleagues in Astronomy and Geoscience. Tucson is a great place to live, with excellent hiking, great food, and a low cost of living. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Prof. Ranjan with any questions!
Link to position description and application: https://arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/4/home/requisition/21927
- Supervisors, Astrobiology Section and Asteroids and Rocky Small Bodies Section, JHUAPL
The Small Bodies and Ocean Worlds group in the Space Exploration Sector of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) seeks supervisors for its Astrobiology Section and its Asteroids and Rocky Small Bodies Section. The Astrobiology Section focuses on potentially habitable environments beyond Earth, laboratory studies of Earth analogs, development of instrumentation for detection of extraterrestrial biosignatures, and missions including Europa Clipper and Dragonfly that investigate environments of astrobiological interest. The Asteroids and Rocky Small Bodies Section focuses on the chemistry, physics, and geology of rocky small bodies, physical processes that affect their surfaces, development of spaceflight instrumentation to study them, and the study of meteorites that sample them.
The desired candidates will have: a doctorate in a physical or biological science relevant to the work in their section; an accomplished research program; excellent people skills; and excellent written and oral communications skills. They will be expected to provide leadership and mentorship to the half-dozen members of the section, and participate in a variety of strategic efforts.
Applications for the Astrobiology Section may be submitted at https://careers.jhuapl.edu/jobs/56619?lang=en-us and for the Asteroids and Rocky Small Bodies Section at https://careers.jhuapl.edu/jobs/56655?lang=en-us
- Senior Application Developer Caltech/IPAC – Application Deadline Mar 31, 2025
PAC at Caltech has an opening for a Senior Applications Developer with a strong background in Unix software development to lead the Data Systems development team at the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA). As lead of IRSA’s Data Systems Team, you will manage the activities of a group of IRSA scientists and developers who share the overarching goal of supporting community science with archival IRSA and other NASA data sets. Your development work may involve processing astrophysics space mission data, containerization & cloud technologies, large scale databases, and petabyte-scale storage. You will also work with scientists and other developers to help interpret and implement project requirements and document the work that you’ve accomplished.
Link to the full job description: https://dps.aas.org/senior-application-developer/
- Full-time staff scientist to work with Roman team at IPAC
IPAC, part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech, provides science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to enhance discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. IPAC invites applications from highly qualified individuals for a full-time position at the junior scientist level to work with the Roman team at IPAC.
The Roman Space Telescope is a NASA observatory designed to address key questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics. It is slated for launch in late 2026. The Roman Science Support Center (SSC) at IPAC is part of the Roman Ground Data System, providing algorithm and software development and data processing for the Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey and all Roman spectroscopic data. In addition, the SSC will support the operations of the Coronagraph Instrument, manage the Roman General Investigator Program proposal solicitations and related data analysis funding, and provide community support for exoplanet and wide-field spectroscopy science with Roman.
For more details, see: https://roman.ipac.caltech.edu
Link to the full job description: https://dps.aas.org/7526/
- Staff Scientist NED Caltech/IPAC – Application Deadline March 15, 2025
IPAC has an immediate opening for a scientist to work with the NED team. The primary responsibility of this position is to contribute to keeping the content of the database current and accurate by assimilating the diverse and rapidly growing data published in the astrophysics literature and associated catalogs. The successful candidate will also help identify new approaches that can be implemented by NED to accelerate data ingest, and help to design, implement, and test those approaches. The scientist will also conduct astronomical research related to NED’s mission.
Link to the full job description with application instructions: https://dps.aas.org/staff-scientist-ned/
- Postdoctoral Scholar: Asteroid Radar – University of Central Florida
The incumbent will be expected to participate in data analysis, physical and dynamical characterization of near-Earth asteroids using radar and optical data, and support archiving asteroid shape models in the Planetary Data System (PDS). This position is open until filled.
- NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship – Application Deadline March 1, 2025
The NASA Postdoctoral Program offers US and international scientists the opportunity to advance their research while contributing to NASA’s scientific goals. The NPP supports fundamental science; explores the undiscovered; promotes intellectual growth; and encourages scientific connections.
Selected by a competitive peer-review process, NPP Fellows complete one- to three-year Fellowship appointments that advance NASA’s missions in Earth science, planetary science, heliophysics, astrophysics, biological and physical science, aeronautics and engineering, human exploration systems, space operations, space technology, and astrobiology. Search for NPP research opportunities in Planetary Science here: NPP Research Opportunities.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in hand before beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing the degree requirements. Please see current eligibility requirements. Stipends start at $70,000 per year, with supplements for higher cost-of-living areas and for certain academic specialties. Financial assistance is available for relocation and health insurance, and $10,000 per year is provided for travel and professional development.
Applications are accepted three times each year: March 1, July 1, and November 1.
For further information and to apply, visit: https://npp.orau.org/applicants/index.html.
Questions: [email protected]
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Send submissions to: Denise Stephens, DPS Secretary, at this address [email protected]
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