ORAU
Artificial Intelligence for Planetary Science Discovery in Legacy Data
ORAU, Pasadena, California, United States, 91122
Artificial Intelligence for Planetary Science Discovery in Legacy Data
Organization
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Reference Code:
0213-NPP-MAR26-JPL-PlanetSci
Application Deadline:
3/1/2026 6:00:59 PM Eastern Time Zone
How to Apply
Submit complete application (research proposal, three letters of recommendation, official doctoral transcript documents) via Zintellect.
Follow NASA Postdoctoral Program application instructions and requirements at the NASA Postdoctoral Program website.
Description Planetary missions have returned enormous amounts of surface imagery during the past decades of space exploration, most of which remains unused by planetary scientists due to the inability to manually, exhaustively search for even a single scientifically relevant target feature. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to collaboratively focus researchers on candidate regions of interest that otherwise would be obscured by sheer dataset scale, significantly improving extracted science yield and accelerating science discovery in a manner broadly applicable to many planetary bodies.
This project seeks to combine traditional planetary science and recent advances in computer science to maximize the science return of past space exploration missions. The candidate will explore cutting edge AI/ML methods to automate science discovery and focus of attention in planetary image datasets. The science targets selected for discovery should be motivated by current, relevant questions that advance our understanding of planet surface dynamics and evolution.
We are looking for individuals who are comfortable with computationally efficient, rigorous machine learning for image region identification, demonstrate an understanding of both planetary science and scalable computer science, and have publication experience in the planetary science literature. Additional benefits include past experience with planetary image datasets, data science tools, Geographic Information Software, and an established network of expert contacts within planetary and computer science.
Location Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Field of Science Planetary Science
Advisors Lukas Mandrake – lukas.mandrake@jpl.nasa.gov (818) 354-1705
Eligibility Requirements
Doctoral degree (Ph.D.)
U.S. Citizens; U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR); Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status; Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. with a valid EAD card and I-485 or I-589 forms pending.
Policy Notice Applications with citizens from Designated Countries will not be accepted at this time, unless they are Legal Permanent Residents of the United States. A complete list of Designated Countries can be found at https://www.nasa.gov/oiir/export-control.
Contact Questions? Email npp@orau.org or contact Mikeala.
Seniority Level Internship
Employment Type Full-time
Job Function Engineering and Information Technology
Industries Government Administration
#J-18808-Ljbffr
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Reference Code:
0213-NPP-MAR26-JPL-PlanetSci
Application Deadline:
3/1/2026 6:00:59 PM Eastern Time Zone
How to Apply
Submit complete application (research proposal, three letters of recommendation, official doctoral transcript documents) via Zintellect.
Follow NASA Postdoctoral Program application instructions and requirements at the NASA Postdoctoral Program website.
Description Planetary missions have returned enormous amounts of surface imagery during the past decades of space exploration, most of which remains unused by planetary scientists due to the inability to manually, exhaustively search for even a single scientifically relevant target feature. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to collaboratively focus researchers on candidate regions of interest that otherwise would be obscured by sheer dataset scale, significantly improving extracted science yield and accelerating science discovery in a manner broadly applicable to many planetary bodies.
This project seeks to combine traditional planetary science and recent advances in computer science to maximize the science return of past space exploration missions. The candidate will explore cutting edge AI/ML methods to automate science discovery and focus of attention in planetary image datasets. The science targets selected for discovery should be motivated by current, relevant questions that advance our understanding of planet surface dynamics and evolution.
We are looking for individuals who are comfortable with computationally efficient, rigorous machine learning for image region identification, demonstrate an understanding of both planetary science and scalable computer science, and have publication experience in the planetary science literature. Additional benefits include past experience with planetary image datasets, data science tools, Geographic Information Software, and an established network of expert contacts within planetary and computer science.
Location Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Field of Science Planetary Science
Advisors Lukas Mandrake – lukas.mandrake@jpl.nasa.gov (818) 354-1705
Eligibility Requirements
Doctoral degree (Ph.D.)
U.S. Citizens; U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR); Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status; Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. with a valid EAD card and I-485 or I-589 forms pending.
Policy Notice Applications with citizens from Designated Countries will not be accepted at this time, unless they are Legal Permanent Residents of the United States. A complete list of Designated Countries can be found at https://www.nasa.gov/oiir/export-control.
Contact Questions? Email npp@orau.org or contact Mikeala.
Seniority Level Internship
Employment Type Full-time
Job Function Engineering and Information Technology
Industries Government Administration
#J-18808-Ljbffr