ICON
Planetary Geoscientist II, Off-Planet Systems
Austin, Texas, United States · Mid · Contract
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About the role
- This role is based in Austin, TX and will report to our Senior Director of Off-Planet Systems.
- ICON is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an innovative, inclusive, diverse and discrimination-free work environment.
- Employment with ICON is based on merit, competence, and qualifications.
Responsibilities
- Prescribe and document physical, chemical, and mineralogical of lunar and Martian regolith simulants for ICON's research and mission goals.
- Support process development, characterization, and optimization for converting lunar and Martian regolith simulants into structural ceramics using sintering, melt processing, and related thermal methods.
- Validate regolith simulants against planetary analog data across physical, mineralogical, and chemical parameters.
- Collaborate with mechanical and robotic engineers on geotechnical implications for robotic excavation, conveyance, and processing systems.
- Co-design and qualify regolith and regolith simulant conveyance and handling systems.
- Conduct Design of Experiments (DOEs) and characterization studies on derived regolith products.
- Collaborate with Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) teams to validate models against experimental data and use simulation results to guide regolith-to-ceramic process development.
- Support testing and analysis of simulants under simulated lunar or Martian environmental conditions.
- ICON is seeking a Planetary Geoscientist to help drive the future of off-planet construction.
- This role will focus on understanding and simulating extraterrestrial soils, specifically lunar and Martian regolith, and developing methods to validate, manage, and leverage these simulants for research, development, and robotic construction.
Requirements
- 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 through mineralogical, chemical, and physical testing techniques.
- Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
Skills
- Experience with lunar or Martian regolith simulants.
- Familiarity with planetary & space analog testing environments.
- Experience with ceramics engineering.
- Knowledge of mechanical systems or robotics related to excavation or conveyance.
- Background working in low volume, high mix R&D environments.
Company info
- As part of our compliance with these obligations, the Company invites you to voluntarily self-identify as set forth below.
- Interface with internal customers (e.g., robotics and materials teams) and external stakeholders (vendors, research partners, space agencies) to ensure simulant fidelity and research alignment.
This listing is sourced directly from ICON's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.