Dear Colleagues,
As recently announced, STScI is starting a large-scale, multi-year survey of rocky M-dwarf exoplanets—the Rocky Worlds DDT Program—using around 500 hours of Director’s Discretionary Time on the James Webb Space Telescope to search for atmospheres in more than a dozen nearby systems. Approximately 250 orbits of ultraviolet observations with the Hubble Space Telescope will be used to characterize the system’s host star UV properties.
The Institute is seeking nominations (including self-nominations) to be part of the external Science Advisory Council (SAC), whose aim is to provide advice on all aspects of the program, including target selection, data verification, and equitable community interactions. The SAC membership aims to be representative of the broader exoplanet community, spanning a wide range of institutional affiliations, expertise and career stages. Members of the SAC are expected to
- Provide advice to the Core Implementation Team (CIT) on scientific aspects of the implementation process, including the selection of appropriate targets, observing strategy, and feedback throughout the data gathering and analysis stages.
- Provide advice to STScI on interactions with the broader community, particularly with regard to ensuring that data products are highly accessible in a timely manner while achieving the scientific objectives of the program.
- Assist in the definition and science verification of high-level science products generated by the CIT, including advice on potential program adjustments.
Members of the SAC will not participate in functional activities connected with the program implementation, and their role following the acquisition of data will be limited to the verification of high-level data products and analysis tools prior to their release to the general community. The SAC will not be involved in scientific data analysis or publication prior to the public release of high-level data products. We expect to have a final SAC by the first week of September, 2024 and to have the first full SAC meeting in early-to-mid September, 2024. All SAC meetings are expected to be virtual.
We encourage applications from junior scientists starting at the postdoc level, up through senior researchers. Nominations should be submitted using this Google Form: https://forms.gle/Ko5bS12Rnpj5R6zFA.
The selection criteria will include the relevance of the nominee’s scientific and/or technical expertise in the areas of key importance to the development of the Rocky Worlds DDT program (e.g., observers, data analysts, theorists, and modelers with experience related to terrestrial exoplanets and their M dwarf hosts), the availability to support synchronous and asynchronous SAC activities, demonstrated collaborative and organizational experience (commensurate with career stage) with exoplanetary or stellar research programs, and a commitment to representing the broader community in working with the CIT to define the program, and ensuring timely communications on progress from the CIT.
The submissions will be reviewed by the current appointed SAC members from the DDT Strategic Working Group Natasha Batalha (NASA Ames), Kevin France (Colorado) and Laura Kreidberg (MPIA), in consultation with an STScI Program Advisory Council, which comprises the JWST Mission Head, Tom Brown, the Interim HST Mission Head, Julia Roman-Duval, and the Multi-Mission Project Scientist, Neill Reid.
The deadline for nominations is August 27th. Once recruitment is complete the full SAC membership will be published.
