Aerosol and Cloud Remote Sensing using Lidar

About the NASA Postdoctoral Program

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.

New techniques and instrumentation are developed and applied for remote atmospheric measurements. Current research includes cloud and aerosol studies using space‑based lidars such as the Cloud‑Aerosol Transport System (CATS) on the ISS and the ICESat‑2, as well as lidar instrumentation operated from high‑altitude NASA research aircraft (Cloud Physics Lidar and the Roscoe upper‑troposphere/lower stratosphere lidar). Additional projects involve the development of machine learning and advanced data‑processing algorithms and participation in upcoming field campaigns such as the INspYRE experiment.

Active lidar sensing is employed with advanced visible and IR sensors and other atmospheric radiation measurements in field programs. Development and application of new lidar technology and machine learning methods are emphasized. We investigate and interpret observations from multiple sensors to characterize the physical, radiative, and dynamical cloud and aerosol properties.

Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland

Earth Science

• Meloe Kacenelenbogen – meloe.s.kacenelenbogen, 301‑614‑6221
• John E. Yorks – john.e.yorks, 301‑614‑6284

• U.S. Citizens;
• U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR);
• Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J‑1 visa status;
• Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. at the time of application with (1) a valid EAD card and (2) I‑485 or I‑589 forms in pending status;
• Degree:
  Doctoral Degree.
• Applications with citizens from Designated Countries will not be accepted unless they are Legal Permanent Residents of the United States.

All applications must be submitted in Zintellect. The Final date to receive applications is 11/1/2026 6:00:59 PM Eastern Time Zone. A complete application includes a research proposal, three letters of recommendation, and official doctoral transcript documents.

If you have questions, please email npp.