Cryogenic Chemistry Studies of Water Ice Mixtures Germane to Outer Planet Satellites

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. This specific opportunity focuses on examining photochemical reaction processes with step-wise variable control of wavelength in order to understand and unravel the nature of the processes active on icy bodies in the outer solar system. The research involves working with unique, state-of-the-art investigative equipment that prepares and follows the physical processes and chemical reactions in highly characterized doped water ice layers by utilizing optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The fellowship provides opportunities to work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, under the advisement of Dr. Paul Johnson.