Data Scientist

BACKGROUND

The Giant Magellan Telescope is the most powerful ground-based telescope ever engineered. It was designed to push the boundaries of human knowledge and discover the unknown. With unmatched image quality, seven of the world’s largest mirrors will launch our view into the universe to uncover the cosmic mysteries of dark matter, investigate the origins of chemical elements, and search for signs of life on distant exoplanets for the first time.

The 30-meter class telescope is under construction at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the best locations on Earth to view the heavens. From this unrivaled vantage into the southern sky, the Giant Magellan Telescope will produce the sharpest and most detailed images ever taken of our universe, ten times greater than the famed Hubble Space Telescope and four times the James Webb Space Telescope.

When complete in the late 2020s, the Giant Magellan Telescope will be the largest public-private funded science project in history. The endeavor was founded by an international consortium of leading universities and research institutions representing five countries, and is managed by the GMTO Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Pasadena, California. Our culture is impactful, inclusive, and fearlessly innovative. We solve the most difficult engineering challenges and scientific questions with talented individuals who share a passion for revolutionizing humanity’s knowledge of the universe.

We invite you to join our team and leave your mark on astronomy’s future and beyond.

The Universe Awaits.

 

JOB SUMMARY

The Giant Magellan Telescope project is seeking a Data Scientist to work with the Integrated Modeling team within the Systems Engineering group.

The Integrated Modeling team is tasked with the development of detailed STOP (Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance) models of both the telescope and its subsystems. The models are used to monitor the compliance of the project design solutions with respect to the science and engineering requirements of the Observatory. Some of these models are very large, including millions of degrees of freedom. The models are exercised in a Monte-Carlo fashion to get a representative snapshot of the expected performance of the Observatory at a given time in its design stage and as such, a simulation of the Observatory can produce terabytes of data that need to be processed, analyzed, and documented. Moreover, the STOP Integrated Model is run quasi-continuously to keep the project management team informed of the state of the design and its up-to-date performance and compliance.

To run such large computing intensive models, the Integrated Modeling team relies on the Amazon Web Service (AWS) cloud infrastructure. The Data Scientist is expected to already have some experience with AWS and will be involved in the design, implementation and management of an AWS based integrated modeling computing framework build upon the already existing set-up, with the goal of increasing its efficiency in a cost-effective manner.

The Data Scientist will also be required to run simulations in the cloud and to reduce and analyze the data produced. As the Integrated Modeling team is providing modeling software to the rest of the project, the data scientist will provide assistance to other teams to run their simulation in the cloud.

In addition, this position will include developing model validation procedures, writing software documentation and technical specifications, supporting design reviews and creating requirements.

Other responsibilities will include interfacing with Project Management, Systems Engineering, sub-system leaders, and other technical staff as required, writing reports summarizing work accomplished, interpreting results, and presenting those results to Project Management in formal and informal presentations, and developing/purchasing software necessary for the efficient integration of the modeling network. 

 

JOB DUTIES

• Manage Integrated Modeling AWS computing resources.
• Write documentation.
• Develop model validation procedures.
• Manage simulation runs.
• Analyze simulation data.
• Provide project wide support for cloud computing.
• Document results in technical reports, notes and presentations at reviews and meetings.

 

ESSENTIAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

• MS degree in Computer Science or an equivalent technical discipline.
• Proven record in using AWS services for computing and data analysis.
• Proficient in several programming languages: Matlab, Python, C/C++, Latex, Rust, Cuda.
• Familiar with the Linux Operating System environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Demonstrated written and oral communication skills.

 

DESIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

• PhD degree in Computer Science or an equivalent technical discipline

 

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Temporary remote work due to COVID-19
• Open space layout

 

FEATURED BENEFITS

Medical insurance

• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• 401(k)

 

APPLYING

To apply send your resume and a cover letter to [email protected].

If your skills and experience are a match for the position or if we need additional information, we will contact you. If we do not see a suitable match between your qualifications and the position, we will keep your information on file in the event future positions become available that are more suitable to your qualifications.

The GMTO Corporation is an equal employment opportunity employer.