Kepler/K2 Support Scientist

NASA’s K2 mission delivers high-precision space-borne photometry which enables ground-breaking science in all areas of astrophysics, including exoplanet science, stellar astrophysics, extragalactic physics, and solar system science.

The Kepler/K2 Science Center is seeking to fill a staff position within the Kepler Science Office (SO) at NASA’s Ames Research Center. The primary responsibility of the Science Office is to create high-quality data products and documentation for the astronomical community. The SO oversees processing of mission data via the Kepler pipeline and scrutinizes the data to perform quality assurance of the resulting products. SO staff also collaborate with numerous groups, both internal and external, to produce open-source software tools, enhance data access, and support continued spacecraft operations. See https://keplerscience.arc.nasa.gov for information on the mission and our work.

Support Scientists are encouraged to devote 20% of their time to conducting independent astronomical research, ideally in collaboration with Kepler/K2 community scientists and staff and in-line with the scientific goals of the SETI Institute. The development of synergies between Kepler, K2, and other NASA missions, such as TESS and JWST, is particularly encouraged.

Responsibilities

• Analyze data from the Kepler pipeline to characterize quality and identify anomalies.
• Collaborate with other Kepler/K2 team members to share findings and assist in operational decision-making.
• Write documentation in support of disseminating findings to the Astronomical community.

Requirements

• Ph.D. preferred, but pre-doctoral applicants that possess significant experience with Kepler/K2, similar data, or scientific software development are encouraged to apply.
• Must have experience writing code in support of data analysis. Experience with Matlab and/or Python are essential.
• Experience in the analysis of time-series photometric data is highly desired.
• Must possess good communication skills and be able to to work independently towards defined goals.

Duration of Position: September 30, 2019

How To apply: Please visit https://workforcenow.adp.com/jobs/apply/posting.html?client=setiorg&jobId=77352&lang=en_US&source=CC2 and click "Apply" at the top-right of the page. Please provide:

• A CV, which includes a summary of science interests and relevant technical skills (3 pages max).
• Contact information for three references.