NASA Postdoctoral Program - Imaging and Modeling Crustal Deformation using Space Geodesy

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 space geodetic measurements such as InSAR and GNSS to image crustal deformation processes at various spatiotemporal scales. Researchers will work with data from multiple satellite SAR sensors and airborne UAVSAR to image time variable deformation with fine spatial resolution. The research involves combining InSAR and GNSS data with advanced analysis and numerical modeling to better constrain fault and volcano source parameters, mechanical and rheological properties, and improve understanding of earthquake and volcano source processes, strain accumulation, transient fault slip, postseismic deformation, and other tectonic and non-tectonic processes. Candidates may work on developing novel techniques to separate geophysical signals from noise, combining GNSS and InSAR data to image transients, utilizing multiple satellite and airborne InSAR data to develop time series and deformation maps, or integrating time variable surface deformation observations with state-of-the-art numerical modeling techniques to model fault mechanics and earthquake cycle dynamics.