Geology and Habitability of Ancient Sedimentary Environments on Mars

This NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) opportunity focuses on developing novel insights into the geologic context, depositional origin, and habitability of ancient sedimentary deposits on Mars. Discoveries by recent rover, lander, and orbiter missions to Mars have offered new insight into the diversity of the martian sedimentary rock record and the potential for the preservation of ancient habitable environments. The research program solicits proposals involving: (1) geologic and mineralogic mapping on Mars using orbiter visible image, topographic, and spectroscopic data, (2) analysis of ground-based image and geochemical data from current and past Mars rovers, and (3) field or laboratory analog work applicable to the ancient sedimentary rock record of Mars. The NASA Postdoctoral Program offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and designed to advance NASA's missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.