Habitable Worlds Observatory Instrumentation for High-Contrast Imaging and Characterization of [...]

ORAU; California; On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research organization offers a unique opportunity through the NASA Postdoctoral Program for highly-talented scientists. This fellowship aims to advance NASA's missions by developing exoplanet instrumentation technologies. Candidates must have a Doctoral degree related to astrophysics instrumentation. The fellowship is open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and eligible foreign nationals, emphasizing research efficiency and innovation in space science.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in relevant field to astrophysics instrumentation required prior to start of NPP fellowship.
• Candidate should be prepared to engage in exoplanet instrumentation research and collaboration with NASA centers.

Responsibilities

• Develop innovative exoplanet instrumentation technologies.
• Control diffraction leakage and aberrations for imaging.
• Improve observational efficiency of the instrument.

Skills

Exoplanet instrumentation

Education

Doctoral degree in astrophysics instrumentation

Job description

Organization

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Reference Code

0122-NPP-NOV26-ARC-TechDev

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted in Zintellect. Please visit the NASA Postdoctoral Program website for application instructions and requirements: How to Apply | NASA Postdoctoral Program (orau.org). A complete application to the NASA Postdoctoral Program includes:

• Research proposal
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official doctoral transcript documents

Application Deadline

11/1/2026 6:00:59 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

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.

This NPP research opportunity is focused on developing innovative exoplanet instrumentation technologies to enable high-contrast imaging and characterization for NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory flagship mission. To enable the direct imaging of reflected light from exoplanets, diffraction leakage and aberrations must be controlled at small angular separations from the host star through the design and active control of the coronagraph instrument. The principal task is to improve the observational efficiency of the instrument by developing early stage technologies and infusing these techniques through a maturation process to the HWO observatory. This research lies at the interface of exoplanet and astrophysical science, adaptive optics, instrument and mission design, and laboratory validation for both in-air and vacuum environments. Our team has developed Multi-Star Wavefront Control (MSWC) a technique that would enable HWO to observe binary stars, developed high-throughput Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization (PIAA) coronagraphs, and exploring the usage of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for photonic nulling.

Field of Science

Technology Development

Advisors

• Ruslan Belikov – [e-mail]
• Dan Sirbu – [e-mail]
• Kevin Fogarty – [e-mail]

Eligibility

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.

Eligibility is currently open to:

• U.S. Citizens;
• U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR);
• Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status; and,
• 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

Questions

Please email [e-mail]

Qualifications

Doctoral degree in relevant field to astrophysics instrumentation required prior to start of NPP fellowship.

Point of Contact

Mikeala

Eligibility Requirements

Degree: Doctoral Degree.