ICON Build
Planetary Geoscientist II, Off-Planet Systems
Austin, Texas, United States · Full-time · Posted Oct 19, 2026
- Experience
- 5+ years of hands-on laboratory or field experience.
- Education
- Master’s degree in Planetary Geology, Materials Science, civil engineering, or a closely related field.
About the job
Characterize and validate lunar and Martian regolith simulants, develop regolith-to-ceramic processes, and support robotic construction systems for off-planet applications.
What you'll do
- Specify and validate simulant properties against planetary analog data, and test simulants in simulated lunar or Martian conditions.
- Support development and optimization of thermal processes that convert simulants into structural ceramics; conduct experiments and characterization studies.
- Collaborate with engineering, research, vendor, and ICME teams on simulant handling, robotic excavation and conveyance, and model validation.
What they ask for
- Master’s degree in Planetary Geology, Materials Science, civil engineering, or a closely related field.
- 5+ years of hands-on laboratory or field experience in geology, materials characterization, or simulant development.
- Experience validating geologic or synthetic materials using mineralogical, chemical, and physical testing techniques.
- Ability to manage multiple technical efforts, coordinate across teams, communicate clearly, and lift up to 50 pounds.
Nice to have
- Experience with lunar or Martian regolith simulants, planetary and space analog testing, or ceramics engineering.
- Knowledge of mechanical systems or robotics related to excavation or conveyance; experience in low volume, high mix R&D environments.
Tools
sintering, melt processing, Design of Experiments (DOEs), Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME)
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative