The Planetary Science and Remote Sensing research group at the Institute of Geological Sciences at the FU Berlin is participating in NASA's Europa Clipper mission through their involvement in the dust detector instrument onboard that mission. As a part of this activity, the group develops theoretical models for the dust environment of Jupiter’s moon Europa. We are looking for a student with programming skills and experience in classical mechanics or the dynamics of solar system bodies. The work to be carried out is suitable for a master's thesis in the field of planetary science or physics.

Website: https://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/en/geol/fachrichtungen/planet/index.html
 
Job description:
The task for the student position will be the supervised application of a software tool that was developed in the group to understand the ejection of small particles (dust) from planetary moons. The work is embedded in ongoing efforts to prepare measurements that will be performed by the Surface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) instrument that is part of a space mission (the NASA Europa Clipper) to Jupiter's moon Europa. This position will contribute to a project that explores how the temporal variability of Europa's dust environment can affect these measurements.
 
Desirable:
- Knowledge in the field of planetology
- Knowledge of classical mechanics
- Programming experience
- very good English language skills (B2/C1)
 
For further information, please contact Dr. Jürgen Schmidt (juergen.schmidt@fu-berlin.de / 030 838 71050).