Staff Scientist

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Job Summary

IPAC at Caltech invites applications for the position of Moving Object Quality Assurance 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 tractlets to the Minor Planet Center.

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.

IPAC is part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division  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 September 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.

Essential Job Duties

As part of the NEO Surveyor team at IPAC, your job duties for the Moving Object QA Scientist will include assisting in development of the Quality Assurance mission subsystem and interfacing with other mission subsystem teams. Specific tasks include:

• Inspection and validation of data products based on simulated data prior to launch
• Development and refinement of tools to assist in data validation
• Deployment and operation of Quality Assurance tools once NEO Surveyor begins on-sky operations
• Documentation of processes and procedures used for Quality Assurance;
• Participation in NEO Surveyor mission meetings and workshops

As the mission operates 24 hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, occasional weekend, holiday and evening work will be required. You will be expected to maintain an independent research program, ideally making use of mission data and tools.

Basic Qualifications

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

• PhD or an equivalent degree in Planetary Science, Astronomy, or a related technical field, and at least 2 years of post-PhD experience
• Experience analyzing telescope images and extracted data of asteroids and comets
• Demonstrated written and oral communication skills

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 working with large astronomical survey data sets
• Experience working with infrared astronomical data
• Experience with reporting asteroid and comet measurements to the Minor Planet Center

Required Documents

• Cover Letter
• Full resume or CV
• Names and Contact information of 3 professional references

Hiring Range

$79,700 - $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.

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