Zintellect - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - Direct Imaging of Circumstellar Disks & Exoplanets

Direct Imaging of Circumstellar Disks & Exoplanets

Organization

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Reference Code

0149-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

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:

Circumstellar disks are an integral component of planetary systems. They

provide the raw material and host environment for planet formation, and

persist into mature planetary systems as debris from ongoing collisions of

remnant planetesimals. Their internal structures can show the dynamic

imprint of any planets within. We are conducting observational research on

circumstellar disks with the goals of imaging new systems; understanding

their structure, dust properties, and evolution via multiwavelength

observations; and searching for associated planets. Recent imaging data

from the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and the

Atacama Large Millimeter Array, combined with infrared spectral energy

distributions from the Spitzer Space Telescope and Herschel Space Observatory,

are compared with numerical models to derive disk properties. Infrared

spectroscopy is also brought to bear to understand disk gas and icy grain

properties. A particular focus area is the set of edge-on protoplanetary disks,

where disk vertical structure can be directly measured. Supporting data is

obtained with large groundbased telescopes such as Keck and Palomar.

An immediate need is to do preparatory work for disk imaging with the

coronagraph instrument on the Roman Space Telescope, which just launched

at the end of August 2026. Working with the Roman Coronagraph Community

Participation team, we are building databases to support target selection for a

community survey of warm debris disks with the Roman Coronagraph, followed

by development of observing sequences for execution during the first years of

the mission. Related research is being conducted on performance goals and

technology issues for the future Habitable Worlds Observatory, including ways

to reduce the uncertainty in exozodiacal light levels via new observations with

JWST and the Roman Coronagraph.

Our group hosts the community website https://circumstellardisks.org, an online

catalog of spatially resolved disks. Recent maintenance has prepared the site

for updates and improvements. We are adding content and developing a new vision

for the future of the site. This will include catalog work to identify new examples

of disks transitioning from the protoplanetary to the debris disk phase.

JPL has a dynamic environment for exoplanet research with NASA's Exoplanet

Exploration Program Office, three exoplanet research groups in the Science Division,

the Roman Coronagraph Instrument team, access to the Palomar 5m telescope, and

collaborations with local exoplanet researchers at the Caltech Astronomy Department

and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. Candidates with interests in protoplanetary

and debris disks, source catalog and website development, exoplanet direct imaging,

or high contrast observation techniques are encouraged to apply.

Location:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, California

Field of Science:Astrophysics

Advisors:
Karl R. Stapelfeldt
karl.r.stapelfeldt@jpl.nasa.gov
818.354.9608

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; 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 npp@orau.org

Point of Contact

Mikeala

Eligibility Requirements

Degree: Doctoral Degree.

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