Radio Science Engineer

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Radio Science Engineer

Haystack Observatory’s Atmospheric-Geospace Sciences Group seeks a radio science engineer to participate in developing instrumentation for Geospace radar and radio science systems which remotely sense the near-Earth space environment.  The Geospace group operates the Millstone Hill Incoherent Scatter Radar system, a large, powerful radar used for studying the upper atmosphere and its dynamics.  Other areas of interest include developing next-generation array radar systems and distributed radio science instrument arrays. 

Responsibilities include supporting the implementation, integration, and testing of radio science instrumentation; translating concepts into hardware that is operational, meets formal and informal requirements, and is documented appropriately; developing the electronics, signal processing, and software to realize systems that produce scientific measurements; focusing on technical development for the Millstone Hill Geosapce facility using advanced software radar technology, RF electronics, and digital systems; collaborating with the Geospace group’s PI teams, engineering staff, and technicians to implement projects from concept to operations; interfacing with engineering firms to support system implementation, upgrades, and refurbishment; and providing debugging and off-hours call-in support.  

Requirements: 

• B.S. in electrical engineering, physics, computer engineering, or related field
• Relevant experience in an academic science laboratory or radio science research context
• Experience designing, testing, and debugging electronic systems used as part of radar/radio telescope systems
• Solid knowledge of RF electronics and their interface with digital control systems
• Experience with digital electronics, including sensor interfacing, software development for embedded systems in C and/or Python
• Knowledge of modern software development in a Linux environment
• Experience with system integration and the testing of scientific instruments
• Ability to balance work across multiple projects in a scientific research environment
• Good communication and documentation skills

Occasional travel will be required.

Haystack is located in Westford, MA.

The applicant must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Interested candidates may apply online at https://hr.mit.edu/careers.  Please reference job number 22015.

MIT is an equal-opportunity employer.  We value diversity and strongly encourage applications from individuals from all identities and backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive equitable consideration for employment based on their experience and qualifications, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.  MIT’s full policy on Nondiscrimination can be found here.