NASA’s Exoplanet Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) invites postdocs and graduate students currently at US institutions to participate in the inaugural Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Science Series. This inaugural ExoExplorers cohort, which will run a pilot program from Jan 2021-June 2021, will present half-hour monthly seminars to the larger exoplanet community on topics focusing on observation, theory, and instrumentation in support of the broad themes outlined in the “ExEP Science Gap List”: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/internal_resources/1547/ . Each of the ExoExplorers will receive $1000 compensation for their talk. In addition, ExoExplorers will be expected to participate in:
- Weekly interactions between members of the cohort
- Monthly informal roundtable discussions with prominent scientists in the exoplanet and educational fields (“ExoGuides”)
- One to two professional development training sessions on topics to be decided by the cohort, such as proposal writing, CV building, and public speaking.
We are seeking applicants that strive for excellence in their research and also for increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the exoplanet science community. As such, we seek applicants that contribute to exoplanet science through their understanding of the barriers facing underserved and underrepresented communities. Members of the ExoPAG Executive Committee (EC) will review and accept up to 10 people for this pilot cohort.
A website describing the program is available at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/Those who wish to apply should submit a 700-1000 word statement describing 1) your research and how it supports the broad themes outlined in the ExEP Science Gap List (and related exoplanet topics), 2) how you would participate in and contribute to the cohort and its efforts through the activities described above and 3) how you would leverage these experiences to both become leaders in exoplanet science and to increase DEI in the broader exoplanet community. Your application will be evaluated based on how you address these three prompts. Please also include a current CV as part of your application. Your statement and CV must be PDF format.
Applications are due November 5th, 2020 (midnight Pacific time). Questions? Please see our FAQ page (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-faq/) to view answers to previously submitted questions or to submit a question. To ensure that all potential applicants have access to the same information, we will post answers to received questions on that webpage.
The last day to submit substantive questions about the program, call, or application content is October 30. After this date, we will only answer procedural questions about the application process.