JPL Postdoctoral Programs

NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellow, Dr. Giacomo Cerretti works at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the development of new materials to improve the performance of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs), which are used by NASA to power deep space missions. Thanks to the materials developed by Giacomo, these generators can convert the thermal energy produced by the radioactive fuel, into electric energy that can be directly used by the spacecraft. To learn more a...bout Giacomo, please visit https://lnkd.in/gzfEgWq. The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) provides early-career and more senior scientists the opportunity to share in NASA's mission, to reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind. Visit https://lnkd.in/gz8wvgT and https://jpl.jobs for research opportunities. #postdoctoral #postdoclife #research #nasa #nasajpl #lifeatjpl #jplcareers

Our featured postdoc this week is Renato Braghiere. Renato is a climate scientist, which means he is interested in how climate behaves and interacts with all parts of the Earth System, especially the land surface. The land surface is a key component of Earth’s climate, and understanding fundamental controls of land photosynthesis including radiative transfer in vegetation, as well as root uptake of water and nutrients is important to correctly picture the global carbon cycle.... He studies the carbon cycle using Earth System Models and instruments deployed in forests across different continents and on satellites orbiting Earth. At JPL, he is working to improve the representation of terrestrial ecosystem processes in Earth System Models thereby improving the quality of climate model projections. For a list of Renato's publications, please go to: https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Braghiere/ See more

Our featured postdoc this week is Matthew Archer. Matt is a physical oceanographer, which means he is interested in how the ocean moves. Ocean circulation is a key component of Earth’s climate, and major questions exist about how energy input into the ocean at large scales through wind forcing and solar heating is transferred to the micro-scale where it is dissipated. He studies the ocean currents using instruments deployed at the coastline, in the ocean, and on satellites orbiting Earth. At JPL, he is working for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission, which will provide unprecedented high-resolution measurements of the ocean. For a list of Matt's publications, please go to: https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Archer/

NASA is accepting applications from science and engineering post-docs, recent PhDs, doctoral students, junior faculty, and engineering students within 6-9 months of completion of their master’s degree but not planning to pursue a PhD degree, and junior faculty for its 32nd Annual Planetary Science Summer School due April 13, 2020. An additional pilot experience adapted from PSSS is available this year centered on heliophysics science, the Heliophysics Mission Design School, has a due date for applications of April 27, 2020. http://go.nasa.gov/missiondesignschools

Giacomo Cerretti (pictured left, with his advisor Jean-Pierre Fleurial) presented his work on "History, Science and Materials of RTGs" at the December 19th Postdoc Seminar Series.