Staring at the sun: Using disc-integrated solar spectra to model stellar activity for exoplanet[...]

ORAU; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

ORAU in Pasadena is offering a position in the NASA Postdoctoral Program, which provides unique research opportunities in Astrophysics to highly talented scientists. This fellowship aims to support NASA’s missions in space science and options to analyze solar spectra data.

Successful applicants will engage in a 1 to 3-year competitive fellowship, focusing on high-resolution spectroscopic data analysis and collaboration with leading experts. Eligibility includes U.S. citizenship or certain foreign national statuses.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree required for the NASA Postdoctoral Program.
• Eligibility includes U.S. Citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and specific foreign national statuses.

Responsibilities

• Analyze high-resolution spectroscopic data of the Sun.
• Work closely with experts in exoplanet detection.
• Focus on using solar spectra and EPRV instruments.

Education

Doctoral Degree

Job description

Organization

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Reference Code

0269-NPP-NOV26-JPL-Astrophys

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.

Our group uses high resolution ground-based optical and near-infrared solar spectra to diagnose and model different manifestations of stellar activity. Nearby sun-like stars are a crucial sample of targets for future NASA flagship direct imaging missions, as these are the prime candidates for directly imaging exo-Earths. Surveying these stars with ground-based extremely precise radial velocity (EPRV) measurements is critical in this pursuit, as EPRVs provide the necessary planet masses and detections to support future imaging missions such as the Habitable-Worlds Observatory (HWO). However, detection of a true Earth analog via Doppler EPRV measurements is currently beyond our reach, buried beneath a wealth of systematic stellar noise, Earth's atmosphere, and instrumental limits. This project focuses on using solar spectra from a variety of EPRV instruments to better understand the connection between physical processes in the solar photosphere and the high resolution EPRV spectra at a variety of timescales (daily to yearly). The data to be analyzed will be from a combination of facilities, including the Keck Planet Finder (KPF), PARVI, and NEID instruments, each of which has (or will soon have) a dedicated solar feed that delivers hundreds of daily disc-integrated spectra to the instrument.

The successful applicant will work closely with a team of field-leading exoplanet detection experts to analyze high resolution spectroscopic data of the Sun from a variety of ground-based optical and near-infrared facilities. The research will focus on leveraging a library of high-resolution spectra of the Sun to derive and test different spectroscopic measurement metrics and techniques aimed at identifying stellar activity signals in radial velocity time series.

Field of Science

Astrophysics

Advisors

Samuel Halverson

[e-mail]

[phone]

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;
• 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]

Point of Contact

Mikeala

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Doctoral Degree.