Human Performance Research Assistant

Description

We are a contract of innovators, thinkers, creators, explorers, volunteers, and dreamers, and we all share one goal: to improve the world responsibly and safely. On the Human Health and Performance Contract, we are at the forefront of safeguarding astronaut health, ensuring human performance, and advancing technologies for human space exploration.

We are seeking an Exercise Physiology & Countermeasures Research Assistant at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, TX.

What You’ll Do:
In this role, you play a key part in supporting the Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures (EPC) team in advancing human health and performance for exploration missions. You will help transition research into operational use, validate exercise countermeasure systems, and support human performance testing in laboratory, analog, and field environments.

Your primary interfaces will include the NASA Human Health and Performance Directorate (HHPD), Flight Operations, engineering groups, crewmembers, clinical personnel, research collaborators, and human test subjects.

You will:
• Support project leads in implementing research activities outlined in EPC strategic roadmaps
• Coordinate human research studies and engineering evaluations, including scheduling, logistics, and integration with study teams and stakeholders
• Prepare study documentation such as Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols, test plans, readiness review packages, and progress reports
• Design, implement, and maintain data acquisition systems for physiological and performance testing
• Perform equipment setup, calibration, troubleshooting, and monitoring during tests and evaluations
• Collect physiological and performance data during research studies, operational training, and analog missions
• Support validation of exercise countermeasure hardware, wearable sensors, and human system interaction technologies
• Contribute to development of conditioning programs and performance protocols for crew health and mission readiness
• Ensure compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements
• Complete all assigned training and perform other duties as required

What You Bring:
You bring experience leading research and operational activities in human performance environments. You use your experience and judgment to coordinate complex studies, ensure data quality, maintain safety standards, and communicate effectively with multidisciplinary teams including astronauts, clinicians, engineers, physiologists, and researchers. You comply with KBR’s Safety, Health and Environmental Plan, Quality Plan, and all safety policies and procedures, and complete all assigned training.

Requirements

Your Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in physiology, kinesiology, exercise science, or related field, plus ~5 years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of graduate education and experience
• Experience conducting human health and performance research, including physiological monitoring and/or kinematic analysis
• U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency

Desired:
• Master’s degree in physiology, kinesiology, exercise science, or related field
• Experience evaluating hardware such as wearable sensors or health-related equipment
• Experience conducting operational studies of human performance or human system interactions, especially in spaceflight or analog environments

Your Skills:
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work independently and collaboratively across multiple JSC directorates
• Ability to communicate effectively with human test subjects, astronauts, engineers, and clinical personnel
• Strong organizational skills and ability to support multiple concurrent projects
• Attention to detail and understanding of human performance capabilities and interactions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and standard PC tools
• (Desired) Familiarity with NASA HHPD, human spaceflight operations, exercise countermeasure systems, human systems integration, spaceflight analogs, and NASA standards (e.g., NASA-STD-3001)

What to Expect:
This position is expected to be 100% on site at NASA JSC. Occasional travel may be required.