Postdoc: Ionized Gas Flow Modeling for Electric Propulsion

ORAU; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

NASA, through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to model and simulate dense and rarefied ionized gas flows in electric propulsion research. The appointment is one year, renewable up to three years based on funding availability.

Responsibilities include developing and extending fluid‑kinetic codes, validating simulations with laboratory data, and publishing results at conferences and in peer‑reviewed journals.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering or a closely related field, awarded within the past 3 years.
• Demonstrated expertise in kinetic (particle) and/or continuum (fluid) numerical simulation methods, with evidence of substantive application in the doctoral dissertation.
• Solid background in the physics of ionized and neutral flows.
• Proficiency in scientific programming languages, especially Fortran but also C, C++, Python, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Application, enhancement, and extension of existing in‑house and open‑source fluid‑kinetic (hybrid) codes for the modeling and simulation of plasma processes in electric propulsion and related laboratory and space applications, including development of new tools where programmatic needs warrant.
• Contribution to the validation and verification of simulation tools against laboratory and in‑flight data.
• Dissemination of research results through peer‑reviewed publications and presentations at scientific conferences.

Skills

Kinetic/continuum simulation methods

Fortran

C++

Python

Education

PhD in Aerospace Engineering or closely related field

Tools

PIC-MCC codes

Job description

NASA, through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to model and simulate dense and rarefied ionized gas flows in electric propulsion research. The appointment is one year, renewable up to three years based on funding availability.

Responsibilities include developing and extending fluid‑kinetic codes, validating simulations with laboratory data, and publishing results at conferences and in peer‑reviewed journals.