JSC’s Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office anticipates a hiring opportunity for a geomicrobiology or astrobiology researcher to serve NASA as curator for biological components in astromaterials.

Qualifications:

Expertise in –
(1) biological cleanliness and quantitative biological contaminant     characterization;
(2) chemical, mineralogical, or petrological consequences of microbial interaction with astromaterials, astromaterials simulants, and terrestrial analogs of astromaterials; or
(3) sample collection and handling of geological materials that contain microbial matter. The successful candidate shall develop an externally funded research program in the area of     geomicrobiology and/or astrobiology.

Additional duties include development and implementation of curation plans for astromaterials returned from future missions with possible extraterrestrial biological components; conducting advanced curation research to prevent biological contamination of NASA’s past, present,
and future astromaterials collections, and developing methods of monitoring for biological contamination within curation facilities and in NASA’s astromaterials collections. This individual will also provide expertise in the area of contamination knowledge as it relates to biological cleanliness of NASA spacecraft at all stages of a mission.

The position will be posted at USAJobs in the near future https://www.usajobs.gov/