X-ray Astrophysics with XRISM

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 the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), a JAXA/NASA collaborative mission with ESA participation. XRISM is capable of high-resolution, non-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and imaging, with four categories of science objectives: structure formation of the Universe and evolution of clusters of galaxies, circulation history of baryonic matter in the Universe, transport and circulation of energy in the Universe, and new science with unprecedented high resolution X-ray spectroscopy. The successful applicant will carry out a research program in any area related to the science of XRISM, including theoretical studies of celestial sources, simulations of potential XRISM observations, relevant laboratory astrophysics, development of spectral models or atomic codes, or exploring synergies between XRISM and other contemporaneous observatories. The fellowship will be based at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.