Employment Opportunities
Opportunities for Postdoctoral Research
Announcements are periodically made on the NASA GISS employment opportunities page for specific postdoctoral research opportunities at our New York City location, usually through Columbia University and either its Center for Climate Systems Research or Dept. of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics. These opportunities (and instructions on how to apply) are officially announced via Columbia's academic recruitment website. Enter "Goddard Institute" or "Center for Climate Systems Research" as keywords in that site's search form to look for current listings.
In addition to these university positions, postdoctoral research at GISS may be available via the following programs:
NASA Postdoctoral Program
The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly talented national and international individuals to engage in ongoing research programs at a NASA center, NASA Headquarters, or NASA-affiliated research institutes. These one- to three-year fellowship appointments are competitive and are designed to advance NASA's missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.
NPP is currently administered through the Universities Space Resarch Association (USRA). There are three deadlines per year for submitting applications: March 1, July 1 and November 1. For more information, see the USRA-NPP website.
The following research opportunity areas were specifically listed for NASA GISS as of January 2020:
- climate studies
- Earth observations
- planetary atmospheres
- land surface and atmospheric hydrology
- statistical analysis of cyclones
- cloud studies
- ocean biogeochemistry
- climate impacts
- atmospheric composition
- mid-lat atmospheric dynamics
- ocean modeling and analysis
- hydroclimate variability and drought
- radiative transfer and climate modeling
- stratosphere-troposphere coupling
- global carbon cycle
For an up-to-date list of opportunities, see the NPP catalog and select "Goddard Institute for Space Studies" in the list of centers. Note that GISS exoplanet/astrobiology research opportunities may instead be listed under "NASA Astrobiology Program".
Other NASA programs for both graduate and postdoctoral fellowships are listed on the Science.NASA website.
Columbia University Earth Institute Fellows
Opportunities at Columbia University for postdoctoral research in the Earth sciences may also be available through the Earth Institute Fellows program. The program covers a diverse set of topics, offering opportunities at the Center for Climate Systems Research at NASA/GISS and at other Columbia Earth science units and departments. There is one application period per year, opening about September 1 and closing on or about October 31. Please see the EI website for more information.
Other Research Opportunities
For general information regarding postdoctoral research openings at NASA GISS through Columbia University, please contact Ms. Xiaoming Haugh, Columbia University, Armstrong Hall, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY 10025.
