NASA Postdoctoral Program - Heliophysics: Studying Energetic Particles in the Heliosphere

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 a candidate fellow studying energetic particles (neutral or charged) in the heliosphere. The candidate fellow will work independently on these topics in consultation with members of the advisory group at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The scope of the opportunity includes studies of shock acceleration in the heliosphere; studies of turbulent heating of charged particles in the solar wind; studies of relativistic electrons in the magnetosphere; studies of the interstellar boundary region related to IBEX and Voyager observations; studies of the origins of anomalous cosmic rays; studies of Solar Energetic Particles transport and acceleration interactions of heliospheric, magnetospheric, and local interstellar radiation with planetary bodies; and study impacts and mitigation of energetic particle interactions on human exploration of the solar system. These studies can be conducted via data analysis, theory, or simulation. There is also an active program in energetic particle instrument development, and applicants with hardware experience and interest are welcome. Any study of energetic particles in the heliosphere falls within the scope of this opportunity.