Category: Missions

NEO Surveyor Moving Object Scientist at IPAC

Posted on
Current state: Approved
Department: IPAC
City: Pasadena
State/Province: CA
Category: , ,
Country: USA
Contact Person: Joseph Masiero
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: Caltech
Application Due Date: Monday, July 21 2025
Web Link: https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf03/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=CALTECH&cws=37&rid=10473

IPAC at Caltech invites applications for the position of Moving Object Scientist for the NEO Surveyor Survey Data System (NSDS). IPAC is building and will operate the NSDS for NASA’s NEO Surveyor (NEOS) mission. The NSDS ingests imaging and engineering data from the flight system, processes those data into calibrated image and source detection products, performs automated searches for moving Solar System objects, assesses the quality of the survey data, and distributes data products to NASA archives and the user community, including sending moving object tracklets to the Minor Planet Center. A key part of the NSDS is the Moving Object Detection Pipeline (MODP), a software subsystem that is in an advanced state of development and currently undergoing regular performance testing and analysis.
For more information visit: https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf03/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=CALTECH&cws=37&rid=10473

NEO Surveyor Lead Scientist

Posted on
Current state: Approved
Department: IPAC
City: Pasadena
State/Province: CA
Category: , , ,
Country: United States
Contact Person: Caltech Recruitment
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: Caltech/IPAC
Application Due Date: Friday, April 11 2025
Web Link: https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf03/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=CALTECH&cws=37&rid=10285

Job Summary

IPAC at Caltech invites applications for the Lead Scientist of the team that is developing the Survey Data System for NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission. As Lead Scientist you will work closely with the IPAC/NEOS Task Lead and System Architect to guide the overall development, test, and operation of the NEO Surveyor Survey Data Systems (NSDS) at IPAC.

IPAC is part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech. We are a dedicated team of scientists, engineers, and administrative personnel who provide science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to maximize discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. NEO Surveyor is a NASA Planetary Defense mission, scheduled to launch in 2027, that is optimized to detect, track, and characterize solar system small bodies that pose a potential risk to the Earth. NEO Surveyor consists of a passively cooled 50 cm telescope located at Sun-Earth L1 equipped with a wide-field camera that will image the sky simultaneously in two mid-infrared bands. NEO Surveyor will detect approximately 100,000 Main Belt asteroids, NEOs, and comets each day against a background of tens of millions of distant stars and galaxies.

IPAC is building the NEOS Survey Data System (NSDS) that ingests imaging and engineering data from the flight system, processes those data into calibrated image and source detection products, performs automated searches for moving solar system objects, assesses the quality of the survey data, and distributes data products to NASA archives and the user community.

Essential Job Duties

IPAC uses an integrated team approach to its tasks including a leadership model where the Lead Scientist and Task Lead partner in guiding the team to achieve task objectives. As Lead Scientist you will be responsible for the following:

Ensuring that the NSDS design and implementation, including operations, meets all functional and performance requirements for the NEO Surveyor project to achieve its objectives.
Ensuring that the data products delivered by the NSDS are of sufficient accuracy and quality to support the needs of the NEO Surveyor objectives, and sufficiently well documented to meet the needs of the community.
Reporting project status to IPAC Management and presenting at internal reviews.
Reporting progress and status for the NSDS development and operations to the NEOS Project Office at JPL and presenting at project reviews.
Serving as liaison with the NEOS PI, Project Scientist, and Science Team and participating in Science Team meetings
Representing the NSDS on the NEOS Project Risk Management Board
Working on a continuing basis with the NSDS Task Lead and Lead Architect to assess NSDS progress, to confirm alignment with science requirements, to identify challenges and mitigations, and to involve IPAC Management in the discussion as needed.
Overseeing the work of NSDS scientists, in particular V&V, QA and Archive scientists, to ensure the NSDS requirements are adequately verified, data products are of sufficient quality, and the products are delivered to and released to the community by the respective archives.
Supervising IPAC scientists working on NEOS, providing coaching, mentoring, advocacy, and annual reviews.
The IPAC/NEO Surveyor Lead Scientist is expected to be an active participant in the general activities of the IPAC Staff, and to conduct a research program, ideally making use of data from the NEO Surveyor mission.

Basic Qualifications

PhD with at least 8 years of experience in planetary science, astrophysics, or a closely related technical field.
Experience planning, operating, and analyzing data from large scale surveys for asteroids and Near Earth Objects.
Experience leading, coaching, and motivating a technical team pursuing scientific objectives.
Experience using project management tools such as spreadsheets, scheduling, and issue tracking software.
Ability to work in a team environment, including good written and verbal communication skills.
Applicants for this position must be a United States (US) person as defined by ITAR regulations – A US person is a citizen of the United States, a lawful permanent resident alien of the US (“Green Card” holder), or an individual granted refugee and asylum status under US law.
Preferred Qualifications

Besides these basic qualifications, there are a set of skills and experience that will enhance your contributions to this role. The following might give you a head start, but even if these don’t describe you or your experience, we would still like to hear from you.

Experience working on large planetary science, astronomical, or NASA projects.
Experience with oversight of software systems or system engineering, including analysis of budgets and task plans.
Required Documents

Cover Letter.
Resume.
Names and Contact information of 3 professional references.
Submit Application via Caltech Website link provided

The application deadline for this position is April 11, 2025.

People choose to work at IPAC for many reasons, and the casual, employee-centric culture often leads to fulfilling, long-term careers and lasting professional relationships. Caltech’s benefits program offers a quality, competitive benefits package that is affordable for you and the Institute. The program provides a strong base of coverage for you and your dependents, and the ability to choose the plan and the level of coverage that best meet your needs. We also offer a 403(b) defined contribution plan to eligible staff as well as a Voluntary Retirement Savings (TDA) Plan. IPAC staff have access to the Institute’s facilities, including the athletic center, libraries, on-site daycare, professional development and enrichment classes, and Athenaeum club membership.

Hiring Range
$155,000 – $202,500 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].

ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme

Posted on
Current state: Approved
Department: Directorate of Science
City: Noordwijk
Category: ,
Country: Netherlands
Contact Person: Guido De Marchi
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: European Space Agency
Application Due Date: Wednesday, April 30 2025
Web Link: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esdc/visitor-programme

To increase the scientific return from its space science missions, the European Space Agency (ESA) welcomes applications from scientists interested in pursuing research projects based on data publicly available in the ESA Space Science Archives (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esdc).

The ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme is open to scientists, at all career levels, affiliated with institutes in ESA Member States and Collaborating States, although we will also consider strong applications from outside those states. Early-career scientists (within 10 years of the PhD) and PhD students are particularly encouraged to apply. We encourage applications from women and minorities. The peer-review evaluation process is anonymised to ensure equal opportunities for all applicants.

During their stay, visiting scientists will have access to archives and mission specialists for help with the retrieval, calibration, and analysis of archival data. In principle, all areas of space research covered by ESA science missions can be supported.

Residence lasts typically between one and three months, also distributed over multiple visits. Research projects can be carried out at ESAC (Madrid, Spain) and at ESTEC (Noordwijk, Netherlands). To offset the expenses incurred by visitors, ESA covers travel costs from and to the home institution and provides support for lodging expenses and meals.

Applications received before 1 May 2025 will be considered for visits in autumn and winter 2025/2026.

For further details, including areas of research and contact information, please refer to:
https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esdc/visitor-programme or write to the programme coordinators at [email protected]

NEO Surveyor Survey Scientist / Aerospace Engr 3

Posted on
Current state: Approved
Department: Earth, Planetary & Space Sciences
City: Los Angeles
State/Province: CALIFORNIA
Category: , ,
Country: United States
Contact Person: Vanand Larians
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: UCLA
Application Due Date: Saturday, March 29 2025
Web Link: https://jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/6856

NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor is a planned mission (launch: September 2027) with a goal of finding, identifying, and characterizing potentially hazardous asteroids in our Solar System. The Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences is an academic unit within the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences.
The NEO Surveyor survey scientist’s high-level responsibilities include:
• Assist the Principal Investigator and Science Team in developing the NEO Surveyor survey plan, which determines where the Observatory points as a function of time.
• Interface with the NEO Surveyor Science Data System (NSDS) archive to access NEO Surveyor image and catalog data, and work with the NSDS team to maximize the ability to link individual NEO Surveyor detections of small body candidates.
• Interface with the NEO Surveyor mission system team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Physics (LASP), and ensure that the teams at JPL and LASP produce uplink sequences that match the desired survey plan.
• Interface with the Minor Planet Center to ensure that the survey plan produces the best possible orbits for small body candidates detected by NEO Surveyor.

NEO Surveyor Assistant Survey Scientist

Posted on
Current state: Approved
Department: Earth, Planetary & Space Sciences
City: Los Angeles
State/Province: CALIFORNIA
Category: , ,
Country: United States
Contact Person: Selmer Wong
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: UCLA
Application Due Date: Friday, February 28 2025
Web Link: https://jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/6735%20

The Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences is an academic unit within the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences. The NEO Surveyor assistant survey scientist will assist the Principal Investigator and Science Team in developing the NEO Surveyor survey plan, which determines where the Observatory points as a function of time. The assistant survey scientist will participate in testing and verifying that the survey plan obeys survey rules defined by the Science Team. The assistant survey scientist will also participate actively in studying the ability to link detections of small body candidates observed by NEO Surveyor to ensure that they result in the determination of high-quality orbits.

2025 NASA Planetary Science Summer School Applications Due March 18, 2025

Posted on
Current state: Approved
City: Pasadena
State/Province: CA
Category: ,
Country: United States
Contact Person: Joyce Armijo
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Application Due Date: Tuesday, March 18 2025
Web Link: http://go.nasa.gov/missiondesignschools%20

2025 NASA Planetary Science Summer School Applications Due March 18, 2025

NASA is accepting applications for 2025 PSSS – from engineering students near to completion of their MS degree, science and engineering Postdocs, recent PhDs, Doctoral candidates, and Junior Faculty. PSSS is a 3 month-long science mission design career development experience with the workload equivalent to a university graduate course.

Sessions are run by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA
May 8 – Aug 1, 2025 and May 22 – Aug 15, 2025.

Register for PSSS Pre-Application Q&A Webinar on February 12, 2025 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm Pacific Time
at: http://go.nasa.gov/missiondesignschools

Staff Scientist (NEO Surveyor Task Lead)

Posted on
Current state: Approved
Department: IPAC
City: Pasadena
State/Province: CA
Category: , , ,
Country: United States
Contact Person: Caltech Recruitment
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: Caltech/IPAC
Application Due Date: Friday, February 21 2025
Web Link: https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf03/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=CALTECH&cws=37&rid=10174

Job Summary

IPAC at Caltech invites applications for a Task Lead of the team that is developing the Survey Data System for NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission. As Task Lead you will work closely with the IPAC/NEOS Science Lead and Lead System Architect in the overall management of the development, test, and operation of the NEO Surveyor Survey Data Systems (NSDS) at IPAC.

IPAC is part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech. We are a dedicated team of scientists, engineers, and administrative personnel who provide science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to maximize discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. NEO Surveyor is a NASA Planetary Defense mission, scheduled to launch in 2027, that is optimized to detect, track, and characterize solar system small bodies that pose a potential risk to the Earth. NEO Surveyor consists of a passively cooled 50 cm telescope located at Sun-Earth L1 equipped with a wide-field camera that will image the sky simultaneously in two mid-infrared bands. NEO Surveyor will detect approximately 100,000 Main Belt asteroids, NEOs, and comets each day against a background of tens of millions of distant stars and galaxies.

IPAC is building the NSDS that ingests imaging and engineering data from the flight system, processes those data into calibrated image and source detection products, performs automated searches for moving solar system objects, assesses the quality of the survey data, and distributes data products to NASA archives and the user community.

Essential Job Duties

IPAC uses an integrated team approach to its tasks including a leadership model where Science Lead and Task Lead partner in guiding the team to achieve task objectives. As Task Lead you will be responsible for the following:

Managing the budget, schedule, and staffing for NEOS work at IPAC.
Planning and tracking NSDS development, testing, and deployment at IPAC
Reporting project status to IPAC Management and presenting at internal reviews.
Reporting progress and status for the NSDS development to the NEOS Project Office at JPL and presenting at project reviews.
Managing external technical interfaces and documents, including those related to contract reporting.
Participating in external meetings (virtual and in-person) with the NEOS Project Partners, especially the Mission System elements and the Project Science Office.
Coordinating on a regular basis with the NSDS Science Lead to assess NSDS progress, to confirm alignment with science requirements, to identify challenges and mitigations, and to involve IPAC Management in the discussion as needed.
Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree with 12 years of experience, Master’s degree with 10 years of experience or PhD with 8 years of experience in astrophysics, engineering or a closely related field.
Experience leading, coaching, and motivating a technical team.
Experience using project management tools such as spreadsheets, scheduling, and issue tracking software.
Demonstrated responsibility for developing and managing budgets, schedules, financial reports, and tracking milestones and receivables / deliverables.
Ability to work in a team environment, including good written and verbal communication skills.
Applicants for this position must be a United States (US) person as defined by ITAR regulations – A US person is a citizen of the United States, a lawful permanent resident alien of the US (“Green Card” holder), or an individual granted refugee and asylum status under US law.
Preferred Qualifications

Besides these basic qualifications, there are a set of skills and experience that will enhance your contributions to this role. The following might give you a head start, but even if these don’t describe you or your experience, we would still like to hear from you.

Experience with astronomical or NASA projects.
Experience with Earned Value Management.
Experience with software systems or system engineering.
Required Documents

Cover Letter.
Resume.
Names and Contact information of 3 professional references.
Complete applications submitted by February 21, 2025, will receive full consideration, but review of applications will continue until a suitable candidate has been identified.

People choose to work at IPAC for many reasons, and the casual, employee-centric culture often leads to fulfilling, long-term careers and lasting professional relationships. Caltech’s benefits program offers a quality, competitive benefits package that is affordable for you and the Institute. The program provides a strong base of coverage for you and your dependents, and the ability to choose the plan and the level of coverage that best meet your needs. We also offer a 403(b) defined contribution plan to eligible staff as well as a Voluntary Retirement Savings (TDA) Plan. IPAC staff have access to the Institute’s facilities, including the athletic center, libraries, on-site daycare, professional development and enrichment classes, and Athenaeum club membership.

Hiring Range
$150,500 – $173,900 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].

Software Developer for NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission

Posted on
Current state: Approved
Department: IPAC
City: Pasadena
State/Province: CA
Category: , ,
Country: United States
Contact Person: Caltech Recruitment
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: Caltech/IPAC
Application Due Date: Monday, January 06 2025
Web Link: https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf03/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=CALTECH&cws=37&rid=10114

Job Summary

IPAC at Caltech invites applications for a Software Developer to join the team that is developing the Survey Data System for NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission. As a Software Developer, you will build and maintain the software that will prepare, reformat, and package the NEO Surveyor Survey Data Systems (NSDS) data products for routine ingestion into the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA).

IPAC, part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech, is a dedicated team of scientists, engineers, and administrative personnel who provide science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to maximize discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. NEO Surveyor is a NASA Planetary Defense mission, scheduled to launch in 2027, that is optimized to detect, track, and characterize solar system small bodies that pose a potential risk to the Earth. NEO Surveyor consists of a passively cooled 50 cm telescope located at Sun-Earth L1 equipped with a wide-field camera that will image the sky simultaneously in two mid-infrared bands. NEO Surveyor will detect approximately 100,000 Main Belt asteroids, NEOs, and comets each day against a background of tens of millions of distant stars and galaxies.

IPAC is building the NSDS that ingests imaging and engineering data from the flight system, processes those data into calibrated image and source detection products, performs automated searches for moving solar system objects, assesses the quality of the survey data, and distributes data products to NASA archives and the user community. The NSDS operations system generates image data with accompanying metadata and quality metrics and lists of extracted sources from those images.

Essential Job Duties

As Software Developer, you will work with the NSDS Archive Scientist, NSDS Lead System Architect, and IRSA Team to:

• Develop software to identify and collect data product files from the NSDS operations filesystem and prepare them for copying to the archive.
• Develop software to parse lists of extracted source measurements generated from the NSDS image data and reformat these into database-load files to facilitate ingestion into the archive’s relational databases.
• Develop scripts to query the NSDS Operations Databases for metadata and quality metrics accompanying the file products and reformat this information into archive-database-load files.
• Perform integrity checks to verify data accountability, correctness, content, and formatting following archive-ingestion.
• Write and maintain documentation on procedures and recipes for executing and maintaining all archive product preparation tools.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent combination of education and experience) in Information Technology, Software Applications Development, Physical and/or Mathematical Sciences, or related discipline.
• At least 3 years of relevant work experience in developing software.
• Experience with scripting and programming languages.
• Ability to write and maintain documentation for executing and managing software.

Preferred Qualifications

Besides these basic qualifications, there are a set of skills and experience that will enhance your contributions to this role. The following might give you a head start, but even if these don’t describe you or your experience, we would still like to hear from you.
• Experience querying relational databases using SQL or some variant thereof.
• Experience managing extremely large datasets.
• Experience with data-integrity checking tools and hashing algorithms, for example, generating and verifying checksums.
• Scientific programming skills, preferably pertaining to physics and/or astronomy.

Required Documents

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Names and Contact information of 3 professional references
• Application Deadline: January 6, 2025.

People choose to work at IPAC for many reasons, and the casual, employee-centric culture often leads to fulfilling, long-term careers and lasting professional relationships. Caltech’s benefits program offers a quality, competitive benefits package that is affordable for you and the Institute. The program provides a strong base of coverage for you and your dependents, and the ability to choose the plan and the level of coverage that best meet your needs. We also offer a 403(b) defined contribution plan to eligible staff as well as a Voluntary Retirement Savings (TDA) Plan. IPAC staff have access to the Institute’s facilities, including the athletic center, libraries, on-site daycare, professional development and enrichment classes, and Athenaeum club membership.

Hiring Range

$39.50 – $48.00 Per Hour

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 (https://hr.caltech.edu/departments/total-rewards/benefits) and staff perks (https://hr.caltech.edu/careers/caltech-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:
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.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].

Quality Assurance Scientist

Posted on
Current state: Approved
Department: IPAC
City: Pasadena
State/Province: CA
Category: , , ,
Country: United States of America
Contact Person: Caltech Recruitment
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: Caltech/IPAC
Application Due Date: Monday, January 06 2025
Web Link: https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf03/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=CALTECH&cws=37&rid=10102

Job Summary

IPAC at the California Institute of Technology invites applications for one or more Quality Assurance Scientists to work on the Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEOS) program. NEOS is a NASA Planetary Defense mission, scheduled for launch in late 2027, that will detect, track, and characterize solar system small bodies that pose a hazard to the Earth. The NEOS observatory consists of a passively cooled 50 cm telescope located near Sun-Earth L1 equipped with a wide-field camera that will image the sky simultaneously in two mid-infrared bands. NEOS will detect approximately 200,000 Main Belt Asteroids, NEOs, and comets each day against a background of hundreds of millions of distant stars and galaxies.

IPAC is developing and will operate the NEOS Survey Data System (NSDS) that ingests raw data from the flight system, processes those data into calibrated images and source detections, performs automated searches for moving solar system objects, assesses the quality of the survey data, and distributes data products to NASA archives and the user community. The NSDS QA Scientists will be part of the Team who are the final arbiters for the daily NEOS data processing, and who vet the NEOS data products prior to their release to the user community.

Essential Job Duties

As a Quality Assurance Scientist, you will report to the NSDS Lead Scientist and Lead Quality Assurance Scientist. Your duties will include:
• Prior to the launch of NEOS, you will assist with development and testing of the NSDS systems that produce automated quality reports from data processing and longer-term trending, and support performance testing of elements of the NSDS such as photometry, astrometry, automated detection classification, and moving object tracklet generation.
• During NEOS survey operations, you will review the automated NSDS data quality summaries that track data through each stage of the processing, review the list of automatically detected moving solar system object tracklets prior to their delivery to the IAU Minor Planet Center, and monitor long-term trending checks of data quality metrics.
• In preparation for the release of NEOS data products to the user community, you will assist with characterizing and documenting products for the NEOS data user guide.
• You will also contribute specialized analysis tools for off-line checks, such as those to be done during NEO Surveyor’s Science Verification phase just after launch.

The Quality Assurance Scientists are expected to be active participants in the general activities of the IPAC Staff, and to conduct a research program that ideally makes use of data from the NEO Surveyor mission.

Basic Qualifications
• PhD or an equivalent degree in Planetary Science, Astronomy, or a related technical field.
• 3 years of experience in the analysis and interpretation of astronomical imaging data.
• Knowledge of scientific programming and scripting for analyzing astronomical data sets.
• Good communication skills, which will be needed to liaise with other members of the NEOS science data quality assurance team.
• The ability to write and maintain documents that describe the results of analyses of data attributes and quality.

Preferred Qualifications

Besides these basic qualifications, there are a set of skills and experience that will enhance your contributions as the NEOS Quality Assurance Scientist. The following might give you a head start, but even if these don’t describe you or your experience, we would still like to hear from you.
• Experience analyzing data from modern infrared array detectors, preferably from space-based telescopes.
• Experience conducting statistical analyses of large astronomical data sets.
• Plans for an active research program that ideally makes use of data from the NEOS mission.

Required Documents
• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Names and Contact information of 3 references
• Submit Application via Caltech Website.
• Applications deadline: January 6, 2025.

IPAC, part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech (www.caltech.edu), partners with NASA, NSF, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, operated for NASA by Caltech), and the world-wide research community to advance exploration of our universe. IPAC provides science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to maximize discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. Scientists at IPAC have access to Palomar Observatory and other research facilities.

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].

Professor in experimental planetary sciences (remote sensing or related field)

Posted on
Current state: Approved
Department: Division of Space Research and Planetary Sciences
City: Bern
State/Province: Bern
Category: ,
Country: Switzerland
Contact Person: Christoph Mordasini
Contact Email: [email protected]
Institution: University of Bern, Switzerland
Application Due Date: Thursday, August 01 2024
Web Link: https://www.space.unibe.ch/about_us/jobs/questionnaire/index_eng.html

The Division of Space Research and Planetary Sciences within the Physics Institute of the University of Bern has an opening, as of 2025, for a Professor in Experimental Physics (100 %) in space instrumentation for experimental planetary science, field of remote sensing.

The Division is one of the leading research groups in the field of space instrumentation for experimental Solar System exploration and is looking for a professor in the field of planetary remote sensing or a related field. The initial hiring level can range from assistant professor tenure track to full professor according to qualifications (open rank). The position will be filled in coordination with another open professorship in experimental planetology (field of in situ mass spectrometry) at the Division. This interdependence may influence the finally available rank.

The successful candidate is expected to have or further develop an excellent and internationally recognized track record in the development, construction, and exploitation of scientific instrumentation flying on major spacecraft missions. The successful candidate’s research program will constitute a central part of the Division’s core research activities and represent the field of space research nationally and internationally. It will complement existing research activities both at the University and within the Swiss and international landscapes. The successful candidate will be part of a vibrant Division and Institute interacting in research, education, outreach, and administration as a member of the physics faculty. The Division offers excellent conditions in terms of laboratory infrastructure, engineering, and manufacturing capabilities to build space-grade hardware.

We expect an outstanding academic record including successful acquisition of third-party funds, demonstrated expertise in instrument development, a strong international network in space research including multiple links to space agencies, excellent social skills, and leadership qualities. The person will teach at BSc. and MSc. level, including lecturing basic physics courses in German for which non-German speakers will be given the necessary time to become competent in the language.

Candidates are expected to hold a PhD in physics or a related field and must be able to teach physics classes. The University of Bern values diversity and is committed to equal opportunities; applications are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates who meet the stated criteria. The University of Bern has set the aim of increasing the percentage of women in leading academic positions and thus strongly encourages female scientists to apply for the position. Applications proposing job sharing will also be considered. The University of Bern has signed the DORA declaration and will apply its principles to the recruiting process. Remuneration is in accordance with the personnel regulations of the Canton of Bern.

Applications should include: Letter of motivation, Curriculum vitae, List of publications, List of courses taught, List of third-party funds raised, List of contribution to space missions and instrument developments, Information on further academic activities including science management, Research plan for the first 5 years.

The application documents must be submitted by 1. August 2024 electronically in a single PDF file (smaller than 10 MB) to the Dean’s Office (email: [email protected] ), Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland, including this completed online questionnaire:

https://www.space.unibe.ch/about_us/jobs/questionnaire/index_eng.html

where also additional information on the position can be found. The contact person for inquiries is Prof. Christoph Mordasini, Executive Director of the Division of Space Research and Planetary Sciences: [email protected]