Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Postdoctoral Research Scholar 

Phoenix Arizona – 101 E Jackson St

About Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines is an innovative and cutting-edge space company making cislunar space accessible to both public and private customers. Our mission is to further science and exploration, communications, and economic progress from the Earth to the Moon and beyond. With the first commercial lunar landing in history, multiple NASA lunar missions in development, and additional private missions on our manifest, we pride ourselves in supporting our customers and the nation in paving the way to return humans to the surface of the Moon. Our world-class team includes experts in all aspects of spacecraft subsystem design, development, and testing, on-orbit operations, and safety.

About The Role

The Intuitive Machines Super Moon facility (Phoenix, AZ) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar position to support the lunar remote sensing projects. In June 2009, NASA launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a robotic spacecraft now orbiting the Moon at 50-200 km altitude. LRO's primary objective is to make fundamental scientific discoveries about the Moon. LROC is one of seven instruments on board LRO. LROC comprises three cameras mounted on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) that capture high-resolution black-and-white images and moderate-resolution multi-spectral images of the lunar surface.

In January of 2023, ShadowCam, a NASA-funded instrument hosted onboard the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) satellite, began operations from lunar orbit. By collecting high-resolution images of the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), ShadowCam provides critical information about the distribution and accessibility of water, ice, and other volatiles at spatial scales (1.7 m/pixel) required to mitigate risks and maximize the results of future exploration activities.

The Intuitive Machines Super Moon Science Operations Center supports LROC and ShadowCam by acquiring observations, creating derived products, and performing science analysis. We are looking for a motivated Postdoctoral Research Scholar to join our efforts advancing lunar science.

Responsibilities:

• The successful applicant is an expert in lunar geoscience with experience analyzing Lunar remotely sensed datasets. The applicant will possess high scientific independence, require very little training, and will help the ShadowCam and LROC teams fulfill contractual obligations.
• Daily activities will include performing integrated analysis of diverse lunar data sets (image, DTM, spectral) addressing significant geologic questions outlined in mission documents or the National Academy of Sciences planetary Decadal Study “Origins, Worlds, and Life” 
• In addition, the applicant will conduct lunar research with the LROC and ShadowCam projects. 
• The successful applicant will present research results at ShadowCam and LRO team meetings and professional meetings (requires travel) as well as complete submission of manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals and proposals to relevant funded research opportunities
• Lastly, the applicant will be expected to assist the ShadowCam and LROC teams in fulfilling contractual obligations to the LRO mission, including assisting in educational outreach opportunities and other project tasks as assigned by the Principal Investigator.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in a relevant subject by time of the appointment, including but not limited to geological sciences, natural sciences, planetary geology, geography, and cartography.
• Candidates must be within three years from receipt of their doctoral degree.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Scientific independence and minimal training
• Integrated data analysis (image, DTM, spectral)
• Demonstrated expertise in lunar geology
• Demonstrated expertise with the LROC or ShadowCam dataset
• Technical skill with GIS Systems (ArcGIS and QGIS) for data aggregation and geologic mapping
• Experience in quantitative analysis of planetary surfaces (statistics, time series analysis, data mining).
• Technical skill in the use of planetary image analysis software (e.g., ISIS3).
• A record of prior teamwork demonstrating the potential to build new collaborations with LROC and ShadowCam affiliates and other researchers and a willingness to collaborate and mentor staff and students
• A record of prior publication and/or documentation of research achievements or activities
• Evidence of strong verbal and written communication skills.

US EEO Statement

Intuitive Machines is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.