Join the team developing a new cutting-edge software platform to underpin astrophysical explorations of our Universe!
The 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST) consortium is developing a wide-field multiobject fibre-fed spectrograph to survey a large fraction of the southern sky.
The instrument will be integrated into the VISTA telescope, operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile and is expected to be ready for use in Q1, 2024.
The 4MOST consortium will carry out Galactic and extragalactic surveys supporting, among others, the eROSITA all-sky X-ray survey, and the ESA Galactic mapping mission, Gaia. Read more about the 4MOST science and the survey programme.
We are looking for a talented Research Software Engineer (RSE) to work in collaboration with our cutting-edge Astrophysics group and the 4MOST consortium to help shape and deliver 4MOST’s IWG8 Extragalactic Pipelines (4XP) and the front-end Operations System. This developer shall contribute to the software development and operations framework for running the different modules within 4XP and contribute to the development of modules as required. The requirements and planning of 4XP are described in the IWG8 4XP Requirements document and Management Plan. The developer shall contribute to the development of the 4FS_WI Web Interface and the 4FS_QS Queue Scheduler in the Operations System.
The role
- As a Research Software Engineer, you will:
- Collaborate with research colleagues and the 4MOST consortium
- Provide a significant experience and knowledge of software design and development in one or more of C, C++ and Python
- Have experience in the entire software development lifecycle of complex and secure software systems that involve both server-side and user-facing components and their interconnections
- Be committed to best practices in software development: documentation, issue tracking, unit testing, automation, continuous integration, and version control
- Have excellent communication skills and experience working in an English speaking, geographically dispersed team.
- In addition, the following skills and experiences will be an asset:
- Previous involvement in software development for ESO or other successful astronomical projects
- Experience designing and implementing secure interfaces between software components and databases
- Knowledge of astronomical instrumentation and observational techniques in astrophysics (particularly spectroscopy) and the related data reduction methods
- Presentation of complex datasets and information through web interfaces
The position
- You will be based in the University’s Research Software Engineering Team and part of the 4MOST Project Team in the Astrophysics Group, Department of Physics.
- The Research Software Engineering Team sits within the University’s Research Computing Group, which provides state-of-the-art cloud computing and software development expertise to accelerate scientific discovery at the University.
- The position is full time and has an expected duration of 3 years (fixed-term contract).
- For informal discussion please contact Dr Steven Chapman (Research Computing Manager) on [email protected] or Dr Stijn Wuyts (Reader in Astrophysics) on [email protected].
What we can offer you:
We are an equal opportunities employer and have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations. We have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award.
A family-friendly University with an increasingly agile workforce, we are open to flexible working arrangements. We’re also proud to be a disability confident leader and are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments you may require.