| ASTROBIOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES |
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Please read over the list of upcoming events and deadlines that are relevant to early career astrobiologists. We encourage you to share these events with your friends and colleagues, and especially with practicing and potential early career astrobiologists! While several of the events will occur throughout 2023, registration and application deadlines for many of the events are rapidly approaching. For inquiries regarding event specifics, please see the event details or contact the event host.
These events are not funded by or sponsored by NASA unless otherwise noted. |
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| Announcing the Astrobiology Science Communications Guild 2.0 and Kick-Off Meeting |
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Wednesday, February 15th | 3 pm ET/12 pm PT
We’re excited to announce that the Astrobiology SciComm Guild is back and better than ever after a hiatus, some restructuring, and some new opportunities we’ve identified. We’re calling it Guild 2.0. Our original mission continues as originally envisioned: to support the astrobiology community as evolving science communicators, by leveraging, co-creating, and inventing SciComm opportunities for you, and to serve broader societal needs and ideals in DEIA in the process. We plan to regularly bring you diverse opportunities with NASA and external partners. We will meet monthly, kicking off with our first Guild 2.0 meeting of 2023 on Feb. 15 at 12 Pacific / 3 pm Eastern. Please register in advance. Connection details are in the registration. See you there!
Host group contact: [email protected] Register in advance here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15AGppz-gY_nVMfOh521BtKGcUjMvRkAIXbcPRwhXtVU/viewform?edit_requested=true |
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| The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology |
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Applications extended, due Wednesday, February 15th, 2023
The Lewis and Clark Fund is designed for field studies in any area of astrobiology research undertaken by graduate students, postdoctoral students, and early career scientists who are affiliated with U.S. institutions . Grants may be used for travel and related expenses, including field equipment, up to $5,000. Please note: there will be two competitions in 2023, in February and November. Beginning in 2024 applications will be due in November.
Host group contact: [email protected] More information: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/funding/ecexplorationfund/ |
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The InSight Team (https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/) are recruiting the FINAL round of InSightSeers for their March 2023 Science Team Meeting (STM) in Huntsville, Alabama, USA. The deadline is Weds, Feb 15. Apply now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYk1giMprz_5a34rV88xouH_z5mSkgs7VGVPSw1S231WHmMQ/viewform
This is a program intended to expose early career scientists to the experience of working on an interplanetary mission science team. They are inviting a select number of senior graduate students and early career scientists to observe the next mission science team meeting. Participants will be paired with a mentor from the science team and allowed to observe the in-person science team meeting in its entirety from March 20-24, 2023. They hope that this will provide valuable insight (ha!) into the work and team dynamics that take place on missions and help early career scientists make informed decisions about their career paths. |
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| Professional Advancement Workshop Series (PAWS): An interactive panel on Science Podcasting |
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Friday, February 17th | 2 pm ET/11 am PT
Join PAWS for monthly workshops designed to teach you insights, tools, and actions for effectively navigating next steps for your career in academia or anywhere! This month, PAWS is holding an interactive panel on Science Podcasting. Podcasts are a popular source of information for millions of people around the world, and there are many great science podcasts out there! Do you ever think about starting your own? Come learn from those who are doing it! Please register in advance in the form below to receive a Zoom link.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: https://forms.gle/qg9tn5d6KDntYvmNA |
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| AbGradEPEC 2023 Symposium in the Canary Islands, Spain |
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Registration closes Wednesday, March 1st | The Symposium will be May 4th - 6th
After the success of the joint Astrobiology Graduates in Europe (AbGradE) and the Europlanet Early Career Network (EPEC) symposium AbGradEPEC event at EPSC2022, AbGradE and EPEC are teaming up again for AbGradEPEC 2023! Taking place on the beautiful island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) just before BEACON 2023, this symposium is open to all early career individuals and it will be a great networking opportunity, with the programme including contributed talks and posters, a workshop and an excursion. Registration is open and must be completed before Wednesday, March 1st. You can find more information on the event page.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: https://abgrade.eu/abradepec2023/ |
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| International Summer School in Astrobiology: Searching for Life on Ocean Worlds |
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Applications close Wednesday, March 1st at 9 PM PST | The Summer School will be July 10th - 14th
The annual Josep Comas i Solà International Astrobiology Summer School, held in Santander, Spain, is co-sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Program and the Centro de Astrobiología. This year, the week-long Summer School in Astrobiology will be focused on the exploration of ocean worlds orbiting the giant planets of our Solar System. Moons such as Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, and Titan are key astrobiological targets for future exploration by both NASA and ESA missions. Four outstanding teachers (two American and two European), experts in the field, will share the latest news and discoveries, what energy sources keep these worlds liquid, how life could thrive under the ice crust ocean, and what are the main technological challenges to investigate the habitability and the search for evidence of a hypothetical form of life.
The week-long program for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows provides lectures from international experts, round-table discussions, student projects, night-sky observations, and a half-day field trip to a nearby site of astrobiological interest.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/career-funding/astrobiology-summer-school/ |
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| The Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (BMSIS) Young Scientist Program |
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Applications open Wednesday, March 1st
The BMSIS Young Scientist Program (YSP) provides opportunities for students and eligible early career scientists to participate in basic research, learn about effective science communication, and develop critical thinking skills in ethics, policy, and more. Successful applicants join BMSIS as Research Associates (RAs) for the duration of the program who will work with one or more of our BMSIS research scientists on a variety of projects in Earth and space science, engineering, and science communication. The program focuses on, but is not exclusive to, undergraduate students and those who have completed undergraduate studies but have not yet enrolled in graduate school. Though some projects offer on-site training, the BMSIS YSP is primarily offered as a part-time, remote, online program open to US and non-US applicants. Funding is available for select projects. Please see the Application page for a full list of available projects and for more details.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: https://bmsis.org/ysp/ |
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| The Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon) 2023 Hosted at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography |
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Applications close Wednesday, March 15th | The conference will be May 22nd - 25th
The Astrobiology Graduate Conference is entirely graduate student-run, and dedicated to early-career scientists who study the complex and diverse topics that the astrobiology field encompasses. This conference has been an integral part of the astrobiology community for nearly two decades. AbGradCon promotes long-term professional relationships by providing a setting for graduate students and postdocs to have small group discussions, presentations, and social activities. This year's conference will be held at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) at the Scripps Seaside Forum, La Jolla, CA. The conference will consist of 2.5 days of scientific and collaborative sessions, a set of public outreach events dedicated to engaging with local undergraduate students and the general public, and an educational field trip.
There is no registration fee and we encourage all graduate students and postdocs interested in astrobiology to apply. Funding is available for graduate students.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: www.abgradcon.org |
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| The AbGradCon Astrobiology Proposal Writing Retreat (PWR) |
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Applications close Wednesday, March 15th | The workshop will be May 18th - 22nd
The Astrobiology PWR is an independent training workshop held prior to AbGradCon that brings together graduate students and early-career astrobiologists from diverse academic backgrounds for an intensive three-day collaborative proposal writing experience. The central objective for workshop participants is to create an original proposal on a topic relevant to the current state of astrobiology research, which must be presented to a body of peers. Participants are encouraged to use the workshop as a forum for exploring creative and original research topics. The workshop culminates in a peer-review panel discussion on each team's presented work, leading to a final anonymous vote on the best proposal. The 2023 PWR will be held the weekend before AbGradCon at Emerald Bay on Catalina Island located 80 miles north of San Diego. Additional available activities will include kayaking, paddle boarding, and snorkeling.
Application for the 2023 PWR is integrated at the end of the AbGradCon23 Application form. Space will be limited to 20 participants.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: https://www.abgradcon.org/proposal-writing-retreat |
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| The Astrobiology Early Career Collaboration Award (ECCA) |
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Applications close Monday, April 3rd
The ECCA offers research-related travel support for undergraduate, graduate students, postdocs, and junior scientists. Applicants are encouraged to use these resources to circulate among two or more laboratories supported by the NASA Astrobiology Program (see https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/research/astrobiology-at-nasa/), however any travel that is critical for the applicant’s research will be considered. Travelers must be formally affiliated with a U.S. institution. Requests are limited to $5,000.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/education/ecc/ |
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| The 35th Annual NASA Planetary Science Summer School in Mission Design |
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Applications close Tuesday, March 28 | School begins May 11th and May 25th (two sessions)
In NASA Science Mission Design Schools, you will learn the development of a hypothesis-driven robotic space mission in a concurrent engineering environment. Get an in-depth, first-hand look at mission design, life cycle, costs, schedule & inherent trade-offs. To broaden your understanding, you are encouraged to take on science and engineering roles outside your normal area of expertise. With workload of a rigorous 3-credit graduate level course, you will act as a science mission team during the first 10 weeks of preparatory webinars, then spend the culminating week mentored by JPL’s Advance Project Design “Team X” to refine the mission concept design & present it to a mock NASA expert review board. Two sessions will be held, with session #1 taking place from May 11th - August 4th and session #2 taking place May 25th - August 18th.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: go.nasa.gov/missiondesignschools |
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| Moons of the Solar System Summer School |
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June 26th - 30th | The Observatoire de Haute-Provence, France
The Origins Institute at Aix-Marseille Université proposes an international Summer School dedicated to the study of solar system moons for Master and PhD students, as well as early career scientists. The Summer School, Moons of the Solar System is organized in collaboration with the European Astrobiology Institute and scheduled for June 26-30, 2023 at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence, France. Admission is competitive; only 45 students will attend the program. A short letter of motivation is required for each registration. Several fellowships will be proposed to attend the Summer School.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: https://institut-origines-moons2023.com |
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| Astrobiology Graduates in Europe Workshop 2023 (AbGradE’23) |
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Monday, September 18th | Madrid, Spain
AbGradE will host their yearly event just before the EANA conference in Madrid (Spain) in September. This year, the event will take the form of a workshop.
Host group contact: [email protected] Website: https://abgrade.eu |
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