Staff Scientist - NASA Exoplanet Science Institute/California Institute of Technology

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Archive Date: 
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Scientific/Technical Staff
Institution Classification/Type: 
Small Academic
Institution/Company: 
California Institute of Technology
City: 
Pasadena
State/Province: 
California
Country: 
United States of America
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI; http://nexsci.caltech.edu) at the California Institute of Technology serves and supports the exoplanet scientific community as part of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program.  NExScI is part of the operations team for the new precision radial velocity instrument NEID (http://neid.psu.edu) on the WIYN telescope for the NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research (NN-Explore) Program. NExScI is responsible for operations of the NEID data reduction pipeline and the associated data archive, as well as community support in the use of this new powerful radial velocity resource expected to see first light in 2018.
NExScI anticipates being able to hire a staff scientist with experience in precision radial velocity (PRV) observations and PRV data processing in support of the operation of the NN-Explore/NEID pipeline. In addition, this position will be involved in the development of a community data processing pipeline for the Keck HiRES instrument which will enable community use of the HiRES instrument for the purpose of obtaining precision radial velocities sufficient for the detection of exoplanets.


NExScI also operates the NASA Exoplanet Archive, the Exoplanet Follow-up Observation Program website, the Keck Observatory Archive, and the LBTI Archive.  Further, NExScI runs the Sagan Summer Workshop and administers the NASA Keck Observatory time allocation which enables the general scientific community to utilize one of the world’s premiere telescopes. NExScI is part of IPAC at Caltech which is a research center currently supporting several space- and ground-based observatories and surveys including Spitzer, NEOWISE, ZTF, Euclid, WFIRST and LSST. IPAC operates several major archives, including the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA), the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED), and the NASA Exoplanet Archive. As part of the Caltech campus, IPAC scientists have access to Palomar Observatory, and are embedded in the vibrant research environment of Pasadena, CA.


The staff scientist will help lead the development and operations of the NEID PRV data reduction pipeline and will help to organize the development and support for the community HiRES precision radial velocity pipeline. Specific near-term tasks may include working with the NEID instrument team and the NOAO observatory staff to establish the archival-level operations data pipeline and analysis and evaluation of current data post-processing algorithms suitable for the HiRES exoplanet-finding data pipeline.  In addition, the scientist will be expected to conduct an independent research program in an area related to precision radial velocity and/or exoplanets.


Basic Qualifications 
• PhD in Astronomy, Physics, or a related scientific field.
• Experience in precision radial velocity observations, data analysis, or simulations.
• Strong communication skills, and the ability to work well with others on a small team.


Preferred Qualifications 
• 1+ years professional experience in astronomy, which can include postdoctoral positions.
• Professional experience in exoplanet astronomy particularly using precision radial velocity instruments and data.
• Experience in using or developing advanced post-processing methods for precision radial velocity data.
• Experience with software development and familiarity with languages such as C or python.


To apply, please provide a CV, publication list, a short (<2 page) statement of research interests and experience, and the names and contact information of three references to Mary Ellen Barba ([email protected]).   For full consideration, applications should be received by September 8, 2017.  The preferred start date is January 2018.


We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Included Benefits: 

No benefits information has been provided by the employer.

Application Deadline: 
Friday, September 8, 2017
Current Status of Position: 
No Status Given (Opted Out)
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Mary Ellen Barba