Research Scientist (Postdoc for the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph "IRIS" Project)
Job Summary
Job Description
The Bay Area Environmental Research (BAER) Institute is seeking a postdoctoral Research Scientist for the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) project, within the Lockheed Martin Solar & Astrophysics Laboratory (LMSAL), located in Palo Alto, CA. More information on BAER Institute can be found at: https://baeri.org.
The employee will be part of the IRIS team (see iris.lmsal.com for details) at LMSAL (which leads the IRIS mission and is also involved in Hinode, SDO and STEREO). For more information about the project, please contact Dr. Bart De Pontieu (LMSAL, [email protected]) or Dr. Juan Martinez Sykora (BAERI, [email protected]).
This position is initially for 2 years, but can be extended to 3 years or more.
Background
The IRIS small explorer was launched successfully in June 2013 and is focused on studying the physics of the interface region between the photosphere and corona. The IRIS science investigation combines a high-resolution ultraviolet spectrograph with advanced numerical modeling to study which types of non-thermal energy dominate in the chromosphere and beyond, how the chromosphere regulates the mass and energy supplied to the outer solar atmosphere, and how magnetic flux rises through the solar atmosphere and powers flares and coronal mass ejections.
Duties and Responsibilities
The work will involve a subset or a combination of:
- Analysis of IRIS observations using artificial intelligence techniques, such as machine learning.
- Calculation of advanced numerical radiative MHD or multi-fluid simulations and comparison with IRIS (and other) observations.
Minimum Qualifications
Candidates should have a PhD (or expect to complete a PhD in the next 3 months) in data science, solar physics, plasma physics or a closely related field. The applicant is expected to have experience in either machine learning or numerical modeling.
Additional Considerations
Candidates with numerical modeling interest will have an opportunity to work with the Bifrost code and/or the newly developed multi-fluid code Ebysus.
Starting Salary
$78,000 to $88,000, depending on experience.
Application Instructions
Submit resumes, a one-page research statement, and two letters of reference to:
Application packages must be received by October 17, 2018.
Additional Details
The Bay Area Environmental Research Institute is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, medical condition, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.
If you have a disability that requires accommodation, please contact Donna Turnley of the BAER Institute Human Resources Office at [email protected].
The initial position is for a 2-year period.
Applicants who reside outside of the San Francisco Bay Area must be willing to relocate within commuting distance of LMSAL in Palo Alto, CA. We will reimburse up to $5,000 in relocation costs.
Compensation and Benefits
Benefits
The job benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, short-term and long-term disability insurance, a 403b defined contribution plan for which employer contributes 10% of gross salary, eligibility for participation in optional 403b tax-deferred annuity plan, 10 paid holidays, and a total of 3 weeks of vacation per year through accrual of 10 hours of vacation and 8 hours of sick-time per month.