PhD Graduate - Krimigis Postdoctoral Scholarship Program: Planetary Exploration Group

Description

Do you want to unveil the mysteries of asteroids, Mars’ moons, and icy moons in the far‑away reaches of the Solar System?

Are you interested in using nuclear spectroscopy to understand the elemental composition of the surfaces of these bodies?

Do you like to be challenged by high‑impact problems and want to perform mentored, cutting‑edge research in planetary science while refining your research independence?

If so, then we are looking for someone like you to join our team through the Krimigis Postdoctoral Scholarship (KPS) Program in the Planetary Exploration Group (SRF) at APL! This program is named after Dr. Stamatios "Tom" Krimigis who was a team member on over 50 years of spaceflight investigations of space science, from Mariner 4 to Mars in 1965 through New Horizons to Pluto in 2015.

Krimigis Fellows will be hosted by one of the science groups in the Space Science and Instrumentation Branch of the Space Exploration Sector.

As a Krimigis Postdoctoral Fellow, you will…

• partner with a research advisor who will provide mentoring on development both as a researcher and a science professional;
• perform cutting‑edge research related to planetary science;
• present your research at conferences and in publications;
• be part of a postdoc cohort that builds a network among peers;
• receive training in "soft" professional skills, including proposal‑writing;
• gain the ability and support to submit grant proposals as a principal investigator;
• receive a salary that is competitive in the Baltimore‑Washington area;
• and receive a generous benefits package.

Your professional outcome will include great research opportunities, a foundation for the rest of your career, and building of connections with a variety of researchers and programs at APL, a premier space mission implementation center. Positions are for a 2‑year term, with a possibility of extension to a third year. Most positions will be for full‑time work, although part‑time work (down to 50%-time) is possible by participant’s request.

SRF consists of ~60 full- and part‑time professional staff, postdoctoral researchers, and interns. We pioneer the exploration of small bodies and ocean worlds, and we perform high‑impact scientific research in the areas of planetary science. We have multiple leadership roles on major past, present and future planetary missions, including Europa Clipper, Dragonfly, Psyche, Lucy, Lunar Vertex, LRO, and DART.

Research opportunities in the Krimigis Postdoctoral Scholarship Program are primarily mentor‑defined opportunities supported by funding from existing grants, missions, and other programs. The currently available opportunity in the Planetary Exploration Group is:

• Carrying out planetary nuclear spectroscopy projects at various levels of development, from proposal stage, to detailed instrument development & testing, to flight operation of already launched instruments. As part of the planetary nuclear spectroscopy team, you will participate in detector development and implementation, modeling, analysis, and/or interpretation of orbital and/or landed gamma‑ray and neutron spectroscopy data for various missions (e.g., Psyche, MMX, Dragonfly).
  
  Specific areas of planetary science study include understanding the surface composition of asteroids, Mars’ moons, and outer planet targets. You will assist in the development and implementation of modeling and analysis codes for understanding gamma‑ray/neutron data from small bodies, and benchmarking these data with flight data. An additional role includes the development and implementation of laboratory measurement and calibration experiments that have a direct application to current and future spaceflight nuclear spectroscopy instruments.

A 3-page research proposal should be included with your cover letter for a hypothesis‑driven research program, that addresses an important issue in planetary science, and can be completed and submitted for publication within a 50% effort over two years. Information on how to structure the research proposal can be found on the Krimigis Postdoctoral Scholars webpage.

Applications are due March 29, 2026.

You meet our minimum qualifications for…