Earth Science Research NASA Imaging Spectroscopy Measurements

Earth Science Research with Recent NASA Imaging Spectroscopy Measurements

Join to apply for the Earth Science Research with Recent NASA Imaging Spectroscopy Measurements role at ORAU

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

0151-NPP-MAR
26-JPL-Earth Sci

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 to the NASA Postdoctoral Program 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 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.

The Earth is arguably the most complex object in the solar system, both in terms of the diversity of materials and compounds as well as the diversity of processes occurring in the Earth system. New measurements are required to investigate, understand and model this complex system that includes processes within and between the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and atmosphere. Key constituents and processes of the Earth system can be measured and monitored with imaging spectroscopy in the Visible to Shortwave Infrared (VSWIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum from 380 to 2510 nm with 10 nm resolution.

The capability of VSWIR imaging spectroscopy to provide unique and essential measurements of constituents and processes of the Earth system has been demonstrated in site‑specific studies with airborne instruments and first‑generation space‑based sampling missions. The success of this full‑spectrum measurement approach is demonstrated by the numerous peer‑reviewed journal articles spanning the disciplines of terrestrial ecology, coastal ocean, inland waters, the cryosphere, geology, soils, coral reefs, hazards, urban environments, agriculture, the atmosphere, and more.

From these projects a range of critical and unique science products and results have been demonstrated.

NASA has recently collected extensive VSWIR imaging spectroscopy measurements with the JPL Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) in many regions of the United States, as well as Greenland and India. This NPP opportunity will support research that utilizes portions of these diverse data sets. The research under this NPP is expected to be focused on new science enabled by these unique measurements.

In 2016, a diverse set of science targets that utilize VSWIR imaging spectroscopy were provided to the current Earth Decadal Survey. Potential areas of research may be aligned with these recent inputs to the Earth Decadal Survey shown in Table 1.

• Biodiversity
• Global Observations of Coastal and Inland Aquatic Habitats
• Global Terrestrial Ecosystem Functioning and Biogeochemical Processes
• Earth Surface Geochemistry and Mineralogy:
  Processes, Hazards, Soils, and Resources
• Coral Reefs:
  Living on the Edge
• Understanding the controls on cryospheric albedo, energy balance, and melting in a changing world
• Predicting Changes in the Behavior of Erupting Volcanoes, and Reducing the Uncertainties Associated with Their Impact on Society and the Environment
• The role of fire in the Earth System
• Measuring the Earth’s Surface Mineral Dust Source Composition for Radiative Forcing and Related Earth System Impacts
• Inland Waters
• Understanding anthropogenic methane and carbon dioxide point source emissions
• High Spatial, Temporal, and Spectral Resolution Instrument for Modeling/Monitoring Land Cover, Biophysical, and Societal Changes in Urban Environments
• Global Measurement of Non‑Photosynthetic Vegetation
• From the Mountains to the Sea:
  Interdisciplinary Science and Applications Driven by the Flow of…