Job Summary

IPAC, part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech, provides science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to enhance discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. IPAC invites applications from highly qualified individuals for a full-time scientist position to work with the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) team.

The mission of NED (https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu) is to provide a census of extragalactic objects augmented with data from across the electromagnetic spectrum, for use by the research and lay communities worldwide, with access through computer query protocols and friendly graphical user interfaces. This compilation is continually updated by the fusion of redshifts and fundamental data appearing in refereed publications and major catalogs and by the addition of external links to more data. NED currently provides data for more than 1.1 billion distinct objects joined from over 135,000 references including 18 million redshifts.

IPAC has an immediate opening for a scientist to work with the NED team. The primary responsibility of this position is to contribute to keeping the content of the database current and accurate by assimilating the diverse and rapidly growing data published in the astrophysics literature and associated catalogs. The successful candidate will also help identify new approaches that can be implemented by NED to accelerate data ingest, and help to design, implement, and test those approaches. The scientist will also conduct astronomical research related to NED’s mission.

Essential Job Duties

Applying NED’s current methods for locating, extracting, transforming, and integrating data into the system
Working with scientists and engineers on the team to improve existing tools and develop and deploy new tools to accelerate the flow and fusion of data into NED
Performing scientific validation of NED data gathered through automated methods, including vetting the results of automated cross-matching
Responding to user support requests related to the scientific content of NED
Helping to design and validate NED services and interfaces to enable science use cases for NED data
Conducting research exploiting NED’s rich data holdings to make new discoveries
Basic Qualifications

If you have the following in your background, then we want to hear about your interest in joining our team:

PhD in astronomy, physics, or a related field and two years of post-PhD experience.
Knowledge of astronomical coordinate systems, nomenclature, astrometry, photometry, extragalactic spectral and morphological classifications, and observational techniques.
Good written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated experience working with astronomical data.
Computer programming or prototyping expertise.
Preferred Qualifications

These are a set of skills and experiences which will add to your ability to contribute to the roles and responsibilities of the position. The following attributes would make you a better fit for this position, but even if these do not describe your experience, we would still like to hear from you:

Two years or more experience in computer programming.
Proficiency in Python and a working knowledge of the Astropy library.
Proficiency manipulating large, diverse and complex data sets.
Strong skills using large databases.
Experience or keen interest in applying the skills of a data scientist, such as data wrangling and machine learning, to streamline data processing.
Peer-reviewed publications in areas of extragalactic astronomy that connect to the NED mission.
Required Documents

Full resume or CV.
Cover letter.
List of three professional references.
Complete applications submitted by March 15, 2025, will receive full consideration, but review of applications will continue until a suitable candidate has been identified.

Hiring Range
$71,000 – $105,500 Per Year

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

As one of the largest employers in Pasadena, CA, Caltech is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, and more. Non-benefit eligible employees will have access to some benefits such as onsite counseling and sick time. Learn more about our benefits and staff perks.

EEO Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Caltech is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

To read more Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) go to eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf.

Disability Accommodations
If you would like to request an accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to Caltech Recruiting at [email protected].