Astrophysics with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER)

ORAU

Greenbelt (MD)

On-site

USD 60,000 - 75,000

Full time

14 days+

Application generator

An application made for this job — a tailored resume and cover letter that speak straight to the posting.

Get past ATS filters

Job summary

A prominent research organization is offering a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellowship aimed at individuals with a Doctoral Degree in an appropriate field. This opportunity involves engaging in research projects related to astrophysics at NASA facilities. Eligibility includes U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or foreign national status with specific visa criteria. Candidates should apply if they possess strong research interests in areas relevant to NASA’s missions in space science and exploration.

Qualifications

U.S. Citizens are eligible.
U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) welcome.
Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status.
Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees must meet specific criteria.

Education

Doctoral Degree in an appropriate field

Job description

About the NASA Postdoctoral Program

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.

Research Focus

Neutron stars provide natural laboratories for the study of a number of important questions in fundamental physics, including the equation of state (EOS) and composition of ultra‑dense matter. NASA’s Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) mission, operating on the International Space Station (ISS) since summer 2017, provides breakthrough capabilities for high‑throughput, fast X‑ray timing and spectroscopy to probe the mysteries of neutron stars. NICER’s key goals are to measure the mass and radius of neutron stars by pulse profile modeling of the soft X‑ray emission from millisecond pulsars, and precision timing of accreting millisecond pulsars.

NICER will also enable mass–radius constraints from spectral modeling of the thermal emission from X‑ray bursts, and make definitive measurements of the stability of rotating neutron stars as clocks. Its capabilities will enable a rich observing program of many classes of X‑ray sources, including accreting black holes and cataclysmic variables. Opportunities exist for research, both observational and theoretical, in areas of relevance to NICER that will support, enable and enhance the science return from NICER observations as well as existing archival X‑ray timing data.

Eligibility Requirements

Degree: Doctoral Degree in an appropriate field.
U.S. Citizens
U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR)
Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status
Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. at the time of application with 1) a valid EAD card and 2) I-485 or I-589 forms in pending status

Location

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Field of Science

Astrophysics

Advisors