NASA Postdoctoral Program - Technology Development for Integrated Photonics

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 developing integrated photonics technology for space-based applications. Integrated photonics is used for light creation, manipulation, processing and detection in a chip-based technology. It is compact, light-weight and efficient and has the potential for high reliability and complex functionality. Participation can include ideation, design, layout, modeling, analysis and testing of photonic chips and integrating chips into larger instruments. Applications include remote sensors like microwave photonics radiometers, compact lidar systems. The program is interested in miniaturization of existing capabilities as well enabling new capabilities. The participant will work in collaboration with science and engineering team members to understand the context for the NASA application and the instrument measurement goals and how the novel technologies enable or improve existing capabilities.