EXES Support Scientist

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Archive Date: 
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Other
Institution Classification/Type: 
Other
Institution/Company: 
USRA
City: 
Mountain View
State/Province: 
CA
Country: 
United States of America
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

USRA is an independent, nonprofit research corporation where the combined efforts of in-house talent and university-based expertise merge to advance space science and technology. USRA works across disciplines including biomedicine, planetary science, astrophysics, and engineering and integrates those competencies into applications ranging from fundamental research to facility management and operations. USRA engages the creativity and authoritative expertise of the research community to develop and deliver sophisticated, forward-looking solutions to Federal agencies and other customers - on schedule and within budget.

USRA is accepting applications for the position of Instrument Scientist in the area of mid and far infrared (FIR) instruments and observations, with a focus on support of the Echelon-Cross- Echelle Spectrograph (EXES) mid-IR spectrometer.  We are seeking an experienced observational astronomer to support the SOFIA guest investigator community and EXES instrument team in the definition, acquisition and analysis of observations, as well as general user support and observatory operations.

In addition to supporting the EXES operations, the successful candidate will be the support Instrument Scientists for another SOFIA instrument, nominally the third generation instrument HIRMES currently under development.  (HIRMES is a far-infrared, dispersive, high-resolution spectrograph; PI: H. Mosley, GSFC).  Depending on the experience and interest of the applicants, and complementarity to existing staff, other secondary instrument support assignments may be considered.

During operations, instrument scientists support the PI teams and/or oversee operations of the science instruments, develop the calibration programs, monitor instrument performance, and provide support to the user community.

Candidates should have a strong interest in SOFIA and be actively pursuing research broadly related to SOFIA science. SOFIA Scientists will have up to 20% of their time available for personal research. These positions are stationed at NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, and will be expected to spend significant time at the SOFIA Operations Center in Palmdale, and possibly the southern operations base in New Zealand.


Required Skills

•PhD in Astronomy, Physics or related field
•Minimum of 3 years of post-PhD degree experience in astronomical research and infrared observations
•Ability to support and communicate effectively with research astronomers, both experts and novices in the field of FIR astronomy
•Experience in ground-based or air-borne infrared observations is a particular advantage

 

Compensation for this position is competitive, and based on candidates’ experience and expertise.

 

Applicants should submit a cover letter, a copy of their CV including a list of publications, and a description of their research interests, including relevance to and/or projected use of SOFIA science.

 

The preferred starting date for the position is October 1, 2017.

 

USRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled/ Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity

Included Benefits: 

No benefits information has been provided by the employer.

Application Deadline: 
Friday, June 30, 2017
Current Status of Position: 
No Status Given (Opted Out)
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