What are the responsibilities and job description for the Observing Supermassive Black Holes at X-rays and Other Wavelengths position at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)?
About the NASA Postdoctoral Program
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.
Description:
A broad variety of opportunities exist for research to study electromagnetic emission from accretion driven by supermassive black holes, and from supermassive black hole environments. This research is heavily driven by X-ray observations from space-based observatories such as Chandra, XMM-Newton, IXPE, NuSTAR and more, but also takes a broad, multi-wavelength approach including ultraviolet, optical, and infrared imaging and spectroscopy, particularly by Hubble and potentially the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as well as radio. These observations probe a variety of spatial scales and physical conditions. Datasets of particular interest include:
1) High angular resolution studies of nearby active galactic nuclei, and of the powerful winds and light echos generated via black hole accretion
2) X-ray and ultraviolet spectroscopy of stars tidally disrupted by supermassive black holes
3) X-ray polarimetry of blazar jets and other active galactic nuclei processes
4) An extremely deep Chandra survey within the JWST continuous viewing zone.
There is also interest in advancing new technologies and concepts for space-based X-ray observatories.
Field of Science: Astrophysics
Advisors:
walter.p.maksym@nasa.gov
(256) 961-7507
Eligibility is currently open to:
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U.S. Citizens;
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U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR);
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Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status; and,
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Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. at the time of application with 1) a valid EAD card and 2) I-485 or I-589 forms in pending status
Questions about this opportunity? Please email npp@orau.org