Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Mission Systems Engineer

Department:
College of Science

Classification:
Post Doc 12 month

Job Category:
Postdoctoral Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule:

Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location:

Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type:
Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility:
Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary:
Salary commensurate with education and experience

Restricted:
Yes

Criminal Background Check:
Yes

George Mason University (GMU), a Carnegie Research Iinstitution, is Virginia’s largest and most diverse university with more than
38,000 students. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, Mason is part of the Washington DC metropolitan area offering easy access to the scientific and political resources of the nation’s capital.

George Mason University is committed to advancing inclusion, access, and equal opportunity throughout our community. We believe that a broad range of voices, cultures, and perspectives brings vibrancy, innovation, and growth to an academic community.

The Landolt Mission teamis responsible for developing and executing a NASA space-based mission through coordinated work across science, payload, spacecraft bus, software, systems engineering, integration and test, mission assurance, and project management functions. The unit provides an interdisciplinary research and training environment for faculty, postdoctoral researchers, engineers, staff, and students working collaboratively with federal, academic, commercial, and other external partners.

The Landolt Mission team supports mission formulation, systems engineering, subsystem coordination, technical trade studies, requirements development, verification and validation planning, assembly, integration and testing, technical documentation, mission reviews, and mission operations planning. The unit works collaboratively across payload, spacecraft bus, software, ground systems, mission operations, science, and programmatic interfaces to advance missionobjectivesand meet NASA requirements.

Statement on Building an Inclusive Culture:
George Mason University College of Science (Mason Science) is committed to advancing inclusive excellence and fostering an environment free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation throughout our STEM community. At Mason Science, our values include cultivating an organizational culture that promotes belonging, respect, and civility. We believe that varied opinions, cultures, and perspectives are what provides vibrancy, innovation, and growth to an academic community.

By prioritizing cultural responsiveness in academics, teaching, research, and global engagement, we strive to attract faculty and staff who exemplify the Mason Science mission and vision.

This position is sponsored by the NASA Landolt mission. The Postdoctoral Research Mission Systems Engineer (MSE) duties include (at a different level of involvement and responsibility):

• Contribute to all aspects of mission design, development, and testing by coordinating among subsystem element teams, including payload, software, and hardware teams. Coordinate procedural and regulatory compliance aspects of mission alongside technical aspects. Conceive, conduct, and communicate about necessary trade studies among or within subsystem elements and payload.
• Organize, oversee, and participate in assembly, integration, and testing of individual components, modules, and satellite bus. As necessary, coordinates and participates in integration of assembled satellite bus with launch vehicle and pad facilities.
• Identify, support/coordinate, and/or operate relevant simulations and analysis tools to predict, track, and redirect key mission performance parameters, including, but not necessarily limited to, subsystem or overall mass, volume, and power budgets;…