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:

1. Research proposal
2. Three letters of recommendation
3. Official doctoral transcript documents

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.

Description:

When self-replicating molecules achieved cellularity, life crossed the Darwinian threshold. Individual cells became subject to the forces of evolution, enabling the living world to diversify through biochemical and morphological innovation within and between compartments. Compartmentalization defines how all living systems are organized today, whether that means colocalizing proteins and small molecules into separate phases or dividing labor within and among cells. We define a compartment as a structure in which exchange of components with the surrounding milieu is restricted, often but not always by a membrane or a protein shell. We hypothesize that compartmentalization increases flexibility and/or efficiency in acquiring, processing and conserving resources across scales from the molecular to the ecological. Our ICAR team will explore the evolution and functional consequences of compartmentalization across scales spanning four levels of complexity: 1) encapsulation of reactive organic and inorganic constituents in a primordial membrane; 2) protected environments within cells created by protein-protein interactions that enhance the efficiency of critical reactions; 3) compartmentalization of genomes within cells created by successive rounds of endosymbiosis; and 4) compartmentalization of metabolic processes among cells created by syntrophic interactions.

Field of Science: Astrobiology

Advisors:

Questions about this opportunity? Please email npp@orau.org

• Degree: Doctoral Degree.