Sensitivity Far-IR Detectors

Organization

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

0163-NPP-MAR
26-JPL-Astrophys

All applications must be submitted in Zintellect. Please visit the NASA Postdoctoral Program website for application instructions and requirements:

How to Apply

| NASA Postdoctoral Program (orau.org).

A complete application includes:

• Research proposal
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official doctoral transcript documents

3/1/2026 6:00:59 PM Eastern Time Zone

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities for highly‑talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or 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.

• Design, fabricate, and characterize low‑temperature superconducting devices and far‑IR to millimeter‑wave instrumentation for use in far‑infrared detectors.
• Use a dilution‑cooled sub‑100 mK cryostat to evaluate devices built in the JPL micro devices lab (MDL).
• Work with transition‑edge‑sensed (TES) bolometers, kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs), and quantum capacitance detectors (QCDs); focus on bolometers in preparation for the SPICA mission.
• Implement frequency‑domain readout techniques developed by U.S. and international collaborators.
• Travel and interface with scientists and engineers supporting detector system demonstration and collaborate on ground‑based and balloon‑borne instruments targeting the early Universe (e.g., Super Spec, TIME, TIM).

• Doctoral degree in physics, engineering, or related field.
• Hands‑on experience in low‑temperature superconducting devices and far‑IR to millimeter‑wave instrumentation.
• Experience with cryogenic measurement techniques and detector fabrication.
• Ability to work independently and in a collaborative team environment.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Astrophysics

Matt Bradford – matt.bradforda.gov – 818‑726‑8622

• 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 a valid EAD card and pending I‑485 or I‑589 forms

Please email npp.