Visiting Scientist I

Position Summary:

Visiting Scientist will work with the gamma-ray research group at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center as part of the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) instrument team. team is responsible for operating the GBM instrument on-board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. GBM is an all-sky monitor of the hard X-ray and gamma-ray sky that is particularly sensitive to transient, impulsive events such as Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), soft gamma-ray repeaters, terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, and solar flares. Because of its broad sky coverage and sensitivity to short GRBs, GBM is an avid partner in the search for counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) events detected by the ground-based GW detectors Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and its European partner Virgo. Counterparts to astrophysical neutrinos detected by ICECUBE are also an active area of research. successful applicant will help the GBM team with operations in general, software development and testing, and will be part of the multi-messenger follow-up program of the Fermi mission.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

Work as part of an active instrument operations team, including duty scientist activities outside normal working hours.

Data analysis, software development, and scientific investigations in the area of high-energy astrophysics, particularly related to multi-messenger time-domain observations.

· Complete required trainings as scheduled.

· Other job related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Education:

· Ph.D. in astronomy or physics required.

0-3 years of experience.

Experience:

Research experience in transient astrophysics or multi-messenger time-domain astronomy advantageous.

 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Knowledge of gamma-ray or other high-energy astronomical data desirable.

· Programming experience with both scripting and compiled languages desirable.

Good oral presentation skills and well-written papers and reports are an asset.

Working Conditions:

This job is largely a sedentary role and operates primarily in a professional office environment. Incumbents will constantly perform desk-based computer tasks. Keyboarding for large time spans each day will be a significant part of this position. The employee may need to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

The employee must be capable of performing all duties in a technical/scientific setting including offices and laboratories.

This job may require extended work hours, evening and weekends in order to meet milestones/deadlines.

Travel:

Negligible – attending scientific conferences ~1-2 times per year.

Applicants should apply to the posting at https://usracareers.silkroad.com/ and include a letter of interest, resume, or curriculum vita. Review of candidates will begin immediately. Additional information on USRA can be found at www.usra.edu.

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