You will serve as a Research Scientist in the Planetary Environments Laboratory of the Solar System Exploration Division in the Sciences and Exploration Directorate.

Duties

Duties described below are at the full-performance level. Duties assigned at a lower grade level will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee. Develop and test custom/prototype spaceflight chromatographic separation and sample handling systems to satisfy demanding environments and requirements for planetary mission targets. Develop and test prototype instruments/hardware to identify technical advancements necessary to optimize chromatography separation techniques (e.g., gas, liquid) for potential future planetary missions. Integrate test results from chromatography developments with laboratory analog and field scientific efforts through collaborations within the Planetary Environments Laboratory. Transfer design and operational constraints of separation techniques characterized in an Research and Development laboratory setting to future mission investigations under development Contribute to or lead competitive proposals for research and development of instrumentation to further advance solar system exploration and technology development within the Planetary Environments Laboratory. Lead or contribute to ongoing and future chromatography investigations and instrument development within the Planetary Environments Laboratory through requirements and design definition, instrument calibration and operation, and data processing. Coordinate formulation, proposal, planning, development, integration, and testing of planetary flight instruments needed to achieve mission goals and within mission resources, combining scientific and instrument development requirements.

Requirements

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation.
• You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• A one-year probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Education Requirement (in the Education section below), to qualify for this position you must meet the requirements below. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. NASA utilizes OPM-approved qualification and rating requirements specific for Aerospace Technology (AST) positions which recognizes NASA's unique aerospace work. The specific qualifications and minimum education requirements are further described below and within the education section of the job announcement. Vacant research positions may be filled at one of several grade levels depending upon the scientific impact of the person selected. A review may be required to determine the appropriate grade level of the position and supplemental materials may be required from the selectee. Please keep this in mind when indicating the lowest grade you will accept. To qualify at the GS-13 level, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the federal sector: Coordinating a team of scientists or engineers to research scientific investigations involving front end separation or chromatographic separation techniques; Working with a group of specialists to couple instrument front end hardware with mass spectrometer instrumentation; and Aiding or participating in the design or implementation of using front-end separation techniques for field, lab or spaceflight application. To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the federal sector: Leading teams (formally or informally) of varied technical disciplines to support scientific investigations regarding front end separation techniques or chromatographic separation techniques; Leading a group to couple instrument front end hardware with mass spectrometer instrumentation; and Designing and implementing front-end separation techniques for field, lab or spaceflight application. Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

Education

Basic Education Requirement: You must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree with a major in one of the following:

a) Engineering from a college or university that has ABET accredited engineering programs
b) Physical Science, Mathematics, Life Science or other field of Science
c) Computer Science that included 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of course work in any combination of mathematics, statistics and computer science with at least half of those hours in mathematics and statistics courses that included differential and integral calculus.

If you did not complete a qualifying bachelor's degree, you may be eligible if you have obtained a graduate degree in an AST qualifying field, as listed above.

Degrees in engineering technology are not considered qualifying for this position.

Engineering degrees earned within the United States: Engineering degrees earned within the United States must be from a college or university that has at least one ABET accredited engineering program. To find out if a school has at least one ABET accredited program, please visit http://www.abet.org.

Engineering degrees earned outside the United States: Engineering degrees earned outside the United States must be recognized by a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), often known as accords. These are non-governmental agreements among organizations that accredit academic degree programs. MRAs recognize the substantial equivalence of mature accreditation systems and programs accredited by signatory organizations within their jurisdictions. For a listing of Signatories, please visit, https://www.abet.org/global-presence/mutual-recognition-agreements/is-your-program-recognized/.

Science and other related degrees earned within the United States: Science and other related degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

Science and other related degrees earned outside the United States: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Contacts

• Address Goddard Space Flight Center 8800 Greenbelt Rd Greenbelt, MD 20771 US
• Name: NASA Shared Services Contact Center
• Phone: 1-877-677-2123
• Email: [email protected]