Must be a U.S. Citizen and able to pass a NASA background check for badging as a contractor.

Duration: 3 months from start with options to extend

Project Synopsis:
The Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) project is an innovative initiative by NASA, focusing on complex and interconnected societal and global challenges through an aviation lens. We are seeking Economists with a specialty in climate economic modeling to join a dynamic team of professionals working on groundbreaking research and development in aeronautics. This role will involve collaborative work, including live online meetings, workshops, and quarterly in-person meetings.

This opening is focused on supporting a team centered around how extreme temperatures and storms may impact air transportation in the future. Therefore a strong knowledge base of climate science or civil engineering is critical. This role also will be embedded in the team, attending weekly team meetings, doing modeling on their own or collaboratively with teammates, and, overall, participating at a high level. As such, candidates will be expected to be able to attend these team meetings during regular working hours.

Key Responsibilities:
Participate in discovery sprint teams and workshops, bringing economic insights to complex aviation-related topics.
Contribute to the documentation of quarterly work, including topic area reports and curation of resources.
Generate up to 5 Trend Reports, collaborating with the CAS Discovery futurist and other team members.
Actively participate in bi-weekly CAS Discovery Sprint team meetings.
Co-author up to 4 Sprint Reports and 2 Topic Reports for NASA TM publications.

Qualifications:
Demonstrated expertise in economics, specifically with a cross-disciplinary view incorporating climate science and policy. Experience in law or social sciences are nice to have as well.
Experience with design research, human-centered design, or familiarity with innovation methods.
Strong technical writing skills.
Ability to connect elements of PESTELE (Policy, Economics, Social Science, Technology, Environment, Law, Ethics) in past, present, and future narratives.
Previous experience working with NASA is advantageous but not required.
Must be a U.S. Citizen and able to pass a NASA background check for badging as a contractor.
The selected candidate will complete all required training during the onboarding process.

Deliverables:
5 Trend Reports (~2 pages or ~5 slides each).
Co-authorship of up to 4 Sprint Reports and 2 Topic Reports.
Active participation in project meetings and workshops.

Travel Requirements:
Up to 5 trips to a NASA Center for badging and laptop pickup.
Attendance at up to 4 workshops/site visits at various U.S. locations (2-3 days each).
All travel costs to be invoiced separately.

How to Apply:
Submit your resume, cover letter, and a brief portfolio showcasing relevant work experience in economics and cross-disciplinary projects. Please highlight any experience with design research, human-centered design, or innovation methods.

Contractor Obligations
Upon completion or departure from the project, all government assets (e.g., laptops) must be returned to NASA. The contractor is responsible for managing the performance and replacement of freelancers as required.