Keck Observatory as a Testbed for Optimally Phasing Habitable Worlds Observatory

ORAU; Greenbelt (MD); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

NASA's Postdoctoral Program invites talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center or affiliated institute. Fellows advance missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.

The candidate will join the Goddard Space Flight Center team, collaborating with UCSC, JPL, and Keck Observatory to study Habitable Worlds Observatory and related optical and wavefront control challenges.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in physics, astronomy, optics, or related field.
• Experience with data analysis, data reduction, and astronomical observing.

Responsibilities

• Join the team at Goddard Space Flight Center and collaborate with UCSC, JPL, and Keck Observatory.
• Contribute to technology development and research in Habitable Worlds Observatory and related optical systems.

Skills

Data analysis

Observing

Education

Doctoral Degree

Job description

Organization

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Organization

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Reference Code

0343-NPP-NOV26-GSFC-TechDev

Application Deadline

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

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.

Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will be NASA’s next flagship mission.

It is designed to not only perform transformative astrophysics, but it will also be the first mission ever designed to detect and characterize Earth‑like planets orbiting Sun‑like stars. This ambitious science case brings two extreme challenges: suppressing the starlight by a factor of 10 billion and having a stable observatory to the ~10s of picometer level over a wavefront control cycle. Several architectures are currently under consideration, but all are segmented and require maintaining precisely co‑phased primary mirror segments in rigid body degrees of freedom. Maintaining phase at extreme levels requires nested control loops that include fed by deformable mirrors, the primary mirror actuators, laser metrology, edge sensors, and a low‑order wavefront sensor. Keck Observatory remarkably has a similar wavefront control architecture to that proposed for HWO, and unlike high‑contrast imaging testbeds, has realistic segments that can help us understand how to optimally phase the telescope in the presence of real segment deformation. Areas of study include: incorporating segment fabrication, warping, and support errors (including high‑ and mid‑spatial frequency figure errors) into optical models and assessing their impact on high‑contrast and high‑resolution adaptive optics systems; understanding wavefront control interactions in these dual‑mirror, high‑order adaptive optics systems; and understanding the optimal phasing solution for HWO to maximize Strehl and contrast levels.

The applicant would be part of the team located at Goddard Space Flight Center, but will work in close collaboration with colleagues at UCSC, JPL, and Keck Observatory.

Field of Science:

Technology Development

Advisors:

Breann Sitarski

[e-mail]

[phone]

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:

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 about this opportunity? Please email [e-mail]

Qualifications

The candidate should have an advanced degree in an applicable field (e.g., physics, astronomy, optics, etc.) and should have experience with data analysis, reduction, and observing.

Point of Contact

Mikeala

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Doctoral Degree.