Planetary Geoscientist II, Off-Planet Systems

ICON; Austin (TX); Vor Ort; USD 90.000 - 150.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

ICON in Austin, TX seeks a Planetary Geoscientist II to advance off-planet construction by studying lunar and Martian regolith and developing simulants for research, robotic systems, and ceramic processing. You will work with engineers, researchers, and vendors to ensure simulants are fit for purpose, guide experiments, and validate models with experimental data to support ICON’s mission beyond Earth.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Off-Planet Systems, the role requires 5+ years in geology

Qualifikationen

• Master’s degree or higher with 5+ years lab/field experience in geology, materials characterization, or simulant development.
• Experience validating geologic or synthetic materials via mineralogical, chemical, and physical tests.
• Ability to manage multiple technical efforts, coordinate with cross-functional teams, and communicate findings clearly.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Experience with lunar/Martian regolith simulants preferred.

Aufgaben

• Prescribe and document properties of lunar and Martian regolith simulants for ICON’s research goals.
• Support processing and optimization for converting simulants into structural ceramics using sintering and related methods.
• Validate simulants against planetary analog data across physical, mineralogical, and chemical parameters.
• Collaborate with engineers on geotechnical implications for robotic excavation and handling systems.
• Co-design and qualify regolith conveyance and handling systems.
• Interface with internal customers and external stakeholders to ensure simulant fidelity.
• Conduct DOEs and characterization studies on regolith products.
• Collaborate with ICME teams to validate models against experiments.
• Support testing of simulants under lunar or Martian environmental conditions.

Kenntnisse

Planetary Geology

Materials characterization

Geotechnical knowledge

Project coordination

Communication skills

Ausbildung

Master’s degree in Planetary Geology, Materials Science, civil engineering, or related field

Tools

Sintering equipment

Characterization instruments

Jobbeschreibung

Planetary Geoscientist II, Off-Planet Systems

Austin, Texas, United States

ICON is seeking a Planetary Geoscientist to help drive the future of off-planet construction. This role will focus on understanding and simulating extraterrestrial soils, specifically lunar and Martian regolith, and developing methods to validate, manage, and leverage these simulants for research, development, and robotic construction. You will interface with internal engineers, external researchers, and vendors to ensure regolith simulants are fit for purpose and support ICON’s goal of enabling sustainable human presence beyond Earth. This role is based in Austin, TX and will report to our Senior Director of Off-Planet Systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prescribe and document physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of lunar and Martian regolith simulants for ICON’s research and mission goals.
• Support process development, characterization, and optimization for converting lunar and Martian regolith simulants into structural ceramics using sintering, melt processing, and related thermal methods.
• Validate regolith simulants against planetary analog data across physical, mineralogical, and chemical parameters.
• Collaborate with mechanical and robotic engineers on geotechnical implications for robotic excavation, conveyance, and processing systems.
• Co-design and qualify regolith and regolith simulant conveyance and handling systems.
• Interface with internal customers (e.g., robotics and materials teams) and external stakeholders (vendors, research partners, space agencies) to ensure simulant fidelity and research alignment.
• Conduct Design of Experiments (DOEs) and characterization studies on derived regolith products.
• Collaborate with Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) teams to validate models against experimental data and use simulation results to guide regolith-to-ceramic process development.
• Support testing and analysis of simulants under simulated lunar or Martian environmental conditions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in Planetary Geology, Materials Science, civil engineering, or a closely related field.
• 5+ years of hands‑on laboratory or field experience in geology, materials characterization, or simulant development.
• Experience validating geologic or synthetic materials through mineralogical, chemical, and physical testing techniques.
• Ability to manage multiple technical efforts, coordinate with cross‑functional teams, and communicate findings clearly.
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal).
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.

PREFERRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Experience with lunar or Martian regolith simulants.
• Familiarity with planetary & space analog testing environments.
• Experience with ceramics engineering.
• Knowledge of mechanical systems or robotics related to excavation or conveyance.
• Background working in low volume, high mix R&D environments.

ICON is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an innovative, inclusive, diverse and discrimination-free work environment. Employment with ICON is based on merit, competence, and qualifications. It is our policy to administer all personnel actions, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting employees, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected classification in accordance with applicable federal and state laws. Consistent with the obligations of these laws, ICON will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Furthermore, as a federal government contractor, the Company maintains an affirmative action program which furthers its commitment and complies with recordkeeping and reporting requirements under certain federal civil rights laws and regulations, including Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended) and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (as amended).

Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit candidates through this application. ICON does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency submissions for candidates and will not pay fees to any third-party agency without a prior agreement with ICON.

As part of our compliance with these obligations, the Company invites you to voluntarily self-identify as set forth below. Provision of such information is entirely voluntary and a decision to provide or not provide such information will not have any effect on your employment or subject you to any adverse treatment. Any and all information provided will be considered confidential, will be kept separate from your application and/or personnel file, and will only be used in accordance with applicable laws, orders and regulations, including those that require the information to be summarized and reported to the federal government for civil rights enforcement purposes.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in ICON’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.