Support Astronomer

A complete job description can be found on our website https://lowell.edu/about/employment/

Support Astronomer

Lowell Observatory’s Support Astronomer (SA) will focus their efforts on tasks related to night time operations and observing at the 4.3-m Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT), located near Happy Jack, Arizona.  The SA is responsible for providing instrument and telescope support to Lowell and LDT Partner astronomers and telescope operations staff.  The SA will also work on other projects of their choice that are closely related to LDT and are of benefit Lowell Observatory: these may include telescope operations, instrument maintenance and development, or research support.  The SA works closely with the Observatory Operations Manager, Night Operations and Instrument Science staff, and other observatory teams.

Please see a list of responsibilities included in the full position announcement on the career page of our website.  https://lowell.edu/about/employment/

QUALIFICATIONS

The SA should have strong technical and communication skills and should be able to work with a multi-disciplinary group of people in time-critical and potentially high-pressure situations.  They should have significant astronomical observing experience and experience with astronomical instrumentation and data analysis.  The SA should have experience troubleshooting technical problems, significant programming experience, and broad experience with a variety of computer systems including Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX.

A valid driver’s license or ability to obtain one is required. Driving in winter conditions on mountain roads is to be expected.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Candidates should hold a PhD (or have comparable experience) in Astronomy, Physics, Engineering, or a closely related field. Candidates should have four years of observing and/or telescope operations experience (this may include experience gained during completion of a relevant degree). Experience should include operations with large telescopes (two meters or larger), astronomical instrumentation, and familiarity with active optics.  Experience with photometric and/or spectroscopic data analysis and experience maintaining astronomical instrumentation is highly desirable.

To Apply:
Please send the following documents to [email protected]

• • Lowell Application  (http://lowell.edu/about/employment)
  • Letter of interest addressing your qualifications
  • Resume
  • Phone numbers and e-mail addresses of three professional references

Inquiries should be directed to Dr. Kyler Kuehn, Deputy Director for Technology ([email protected]).

Applications received by March 15th, 2020 will receive full consideration. The position will remain open until filled.

Employment is subject to passing a background check

Lowell Observatory is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and provides equal employment opportunity to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital and family status.

Lowell Observatory provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. This nonsmoking/drug-free campus is at an elevation of 7,000 ft/2100m, and the LDT is 40 miles south of Flagstaff at an elevation of 7,800 ft/2370m. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Human Resources office for assistance.