Postdoctoral Positions in Earth and Planetary Sciences

The D-Lab at California State University, San Marcos (Northern San Diego County) is accepting applications for three Earth and Planetary Science postdoctoral positions to begin in the Summer-Fall of 2021 (gdominguez@csusm.edu). The initial appointment is for 1 year, renewable upon satisfactory progress. Strong written communication and quantitative analysis skills are highly desired for each position.

Funding for conference travel is available.

Volatiles in the Solar System: We seek a physical scientist to work on experiments simulating physical conditions on airless bodies to better understand the behavior of volatile compounds at low temperatures. Duties will include performing laboratory experiments with a UHV chamber and associated cavity ringdown (CRD) spectrometer to quantify D/H, and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ¹⁷O/¹⁶O ratios in water samples. Ability to work with other members of the NASA SSERVI ICE-FIVE-O team is a must. A Ph.D. in Physics, Chemistry, or closely associated fields (Earth and Planetary Science) is highly desired.

Nano-Infrared Spectroscopy of Planetary Materials: We seek a physical scientist to perform infrared spectral characterization of planetary materials with nanometer lateral resolutions. Duties include performing sample preparation and working with collaborators to collect and interpret infrared spectra maps of unique planetary materials. Other duties will include managing a spectral database and performing some Matlab/Python programming. A Ph.D. in Physics, Chemistry, or closely related fields is required. Although a background in Planetary Science is desired, applicants with a strong physics or physical chemistry backgrounds and the desire to gain experience with nano-infrared spectroscopy are encouraged to apply.

Micro- and Nano-Plastics in the Environment: We seek a physical scientist to work on the development and application of a novel technique to identify and classify micro- and nano-plastics in aqueous systems. A Ph.D. in Physics, Chemistry, Atmospheric Chemistry or Physics or closely associated fields (Earth and Planetary Science) is highly desired. For more information, click here.

Contact: Interested candidates are encouraged to Prof. Gerardo Dominguez (gdominguez@csusm.edu) as soon as possible as positions are open until filled. Please be prepared to provide a CV with a list of publications and conference presentations and a letter of support.