Join Us

The Ponce Group is an interdisciplinary team, with students, postdoctoral scholars and senior scientists involved in fields ranging from microbiology and bioengineering to chemistry and environmental science. Working in the Ponce Group allows researchers to gain valuable experience doing research at a NASA facility - the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The work in our labs also involves life in extreme environments, so group members often get the chance to go on exciting research expeditions to places such as the driest desert in the world or the highest mountain in Africa!

Postdoctoral Scholars

We are interested in hiring postdoctoral scholars for appointments of one to three years. Research areas include the following:

(1)Development of instrumentation and related protocols for automated bacterial spore detection
(2)Determination of probability of growth in Mars special regions
(3)Biodiversity and related studies of the tropical glaciers of Kilimanjaro

Graduate Students

We also have openings for graduate students in our lab. Adrian Ponce serves as the students’ Research Advisor, while a professor at the desired department at Caltech serves as the Academia Advisor. Previous Ponce Group graduates have obtained their doctorates in the following fields:

- Bioengineering

- Environmental Science and Engineering

- Chemistry

However, new graduate students are NOT limited to these areas. Contact us for more information.

Undergraduate Students

The Ponce Group has been heavily involved in supporting undergraduate research, whether during the school year or via summer internships. Students are exposed to laboratory research right away, with many projects resulting in publication in high impact-factor scientific journals. We also organize several team bonding exercises, such as camping and surfing trips. Join us for a summer in sunny southern California!

AVG Matriculation RateS

4 years (Ph.D.)

2 years (M.S.)

Research Expeditions

Atacama Desert, Northern Chile

Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Postdoctoral Programs

NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP)

Caltech Postdoctoral Association (CPA)

Graduate Fellowships

NASA Graduate Student Research Program

(GSRP)