Job Description

Description

Have you dreamed of flying on another world?

Have you imagined a desert world where the sand dunes are made of the building blocks of life, and it rains methane?

Are you prepared to be a part of a journey to the most Earth-like and yet alien world in the solar system?

 

This world is Saturn's moon Titan, and Dragonfly, the mission headed to it, seeks Student & Early Career Investigators.

 

Dragonfly Student & Early Career Investigator Program:

Saturn’s moon Titan is the only moon in our solar system with a dense atmosphere, which supports an Earth-like hydrological cycle of methane clouds, rain, lakes and seas. Complex organic surface materials preserve, in a deep freeze, the types of organic chemicals that were present on Earth before life developed. Titan's icy crust floats atop an interior liquid water ocean. Dragonfly is a rotorcraft lander (an octocopter) that will explore a variety of locations on Titan. Launching in 2028 and reaching Titan in 2034, Dragonfly will journey farther than any robotic lander has ever traveled. With one hop on average every other Titan-day (one Titan-day equals 16 Earth days), the rotorcraft will travel from its initial landing site to areas over 80 kilometers away during its planned 3.3-year mission.

 

Each Student Investigator will work with one or more Dragonfly mission team members to conduct Titan research, help formulate Dragonfly mission science and operations plans, or assist in the development of instrumentation, hardware, or testing for a two-year term. Students dedicate 30% of their time (concentrated during summer and academic breaks) at APL and/or their Dragonfly mentor's home institution and will receive annual funding for travel to Dragonfly team meetings and to publish and present results at a scientific conference. A faculty mentor at each student’s home institution will be granted travel support to attend the annual Dragonfly Student & Early Career Investigator Program kickoff meeting.

 

We expect that Titan, just like the Earth, occasionally experiences seismic activity. These seismic waves propagate through the icy moon and carry with them valuable information about Titan’s interior. By recording them with Dragonfly’s seismometer, we hope to constrain various parameters such as the thickness of the ice shell, the depth of the ocean, and the degree of geological and tectonic activity. However, owing to the structure of Titan’s icy crust, seismic waves will likely be strongly scattered (i.e., they will lose energy as they bounce around in the ice and reflect off of small imperfections in it). Seismic scattering will make it more challenging to characterize Titan’s interior using Dragonfly’s seismometer.

 

Project Description: Sounds in the Ice - Simulating Seismic Scattering on Titan

To help overcome these challenges we seek a student who will undertake computer modelling of scattering processes in Titan’s ice shell. This will involve: utilizing software that has already been developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to create models of Titan’s interior, incorporating scattering process into these models, and running model simulations on a supercomputer. Because Titan’s interior is not well-constrained, simulations will be run for a variety of structural models. In order to understand how Titan’s interior compares to other planets and moons in the solar system, these simulations will also be compared to simulations and data for Mars, the Moon, and the Earth.

 

Tasks

The student will be trained to use seismic modelling codes to simulate scattering in the icy crust of Titan. This will involve running codes on high-performance computing (supercomputer) architecture. Project tasks will include: 

• Generating 1D models of Titan’s interior structure using the latest constraints and JPL software called PlanetProfile
• Adding in 3D scattering models 
• Examining the effects on seismic waveforms of a variety of different scattering parameters 
• Considering what the impact of the above results will be on Dragonfly’s seismic investigations of Titan’s interior 

This project will have supervisors at both Johns Hopkins and JPL. There is flexibility in the work location for in-person portions of the project (which might include weeks spent at either lab during the summer, for example). The rest of the time, work can be carried out remotely. 

 

Outcome

The results of this work will help us understand and predict the types of seismic signals we expect to see on Titan. This work will lay the groundwork for considerations of analogue seismic experimentation in Antarctica, data collection strategies for Dragonfly, and the next generation of seismic simulations in the run up to mission launch. While this project is focused on Titan, the selected student will also have opportunities to discuss and collaborate with scientists who are undertaking similar studies on legacy InSight data and who are preparing for the lunar Farside Seismic Suite and VIPER missions. Upon completion of the project, the selected student will also be invited to present their research results during at seminar at JPL and/or the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at Johns Hopkins University

 

More information on the Dragonfly mission and instruments can be found in the videos athttps://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/Gallery/#Gallery

Qualifications

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...

• Are pursuing a master's or doctoral degree in the physical sciences, biological sciences, computer sciences, mathematics or engineering at a U.S. institution AND will continue doing so throughout the 2-year duration of the internship.
• Have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale
• Have demonstrated ability to conduct independent research or development
• Have excellent organizational and communication skills (written and oral)
• Have completed courses in multivariable calculus (also known as Calculus 3 and/or vector calculus) and need to have completed introductory courses in mechanics, waves, or electromagnetism.
• Have some experience with coding, in any language.
• In addition to a mentor on the Dragonfly team whose leads this project, applicants must identify a faculty member at their home institution who can serve as a faculty mentor for the 2-year duration of their participation in the program.
• Include as an attachment to your profile…
• A cover letter
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• The name and contact information for the prospective faculty advisor at your home institution
• A 2-3 sentence statement from the prospective faculty advisor in which they agree to support the student, as a faculty mentor, for the 2-year duration of their participation, should they be selected to work on Dragonfly.
• To access APL’s facilities and networks, U.S. Citizenship status is required.

 

 You will go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...

• Have experience with basic data visualization such as graph plotting, and data analysis using basic statistics, is also desired. This experience need not be extensive—the mentor team will teach the selected student what they need to know beyond the basics.

 

An intent of this program is to broaden mission participation; thus, it is intended for students who are not affiliated with, and whose faculty and/or research advisors are not involved with, Dragonfly or other spacecraft missions. Students who do not have a background in planetary science, the geosciences, atmospheric science, or their associated subfields are encouraged to apply)

Base pay range for this role: $21.90 - $46.45 an hour.

 

More information on this and other Dragonfly Student and Early Career Investigator opportunities can be found at https://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/Student-Opportunities/

 

Why work at APL?

 

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

 

At APL, we celebrate our differences and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

About Us

APL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

 

APL is committed to promoting an innovative environment that embraces diversity, encourages creativity, and supports inclusion of new ideas. In doing so, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact Accommodations@jhuapl.edu. Only by ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard are we empowered to be bold, do great things, and make the world a better place.

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