HET Resident Astronomer, McDonald Observatory

Position Overview

HET Resident Astronomer
, McDonald Observatory

The resident astronomer (RA) acts as the on‑site scientific observing specialist for the Hobby‑Eberly Telescope (HET) at McDonald Observatory. The RA employs various facility instruments, conducts personal research, and contributes to the scientific community at McDonald Observatory.

McDonald Observatory

• Weekly Scheduled
  
  Hours:
  
  40
• FLSA Status:
  Exempt
• Earliest
  
  Start Date:
  
  Immediately
• Position Duration:
  Expected to Continue
• Location:
  
  MCDONALD OBSERVATORY
• Position Open To:
  All Applicants
• Eligibility:
  Must be eligible to work in the U.S. full‑time and permanently for any employer without requiring sponsorship from the employer.

• Competitive health benefits – employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%
• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options
• Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas – a defined benefit retirement plan with employer‑matching funds
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs:
  Tax‑Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and Deferred Compensation program 457(b)
• Flexible Spending Account options for medical and childcare expenses

• Science Operations. Lead nightly science operations safely and efficiently from sunset to sunrise, selecting and executing observations of targets from the queue. Evaluate the scientific quality of all observations and communicate effectively with partner scientists.
• Night Operations. Communicate with the telescope operator regarding scientific, facility, and weather constraints. Maintain accurate, professional, and clear night and problem report logs.
• Engineering Operations. Conduct projects to characterize and/or improve night operations. Work with instrument scientists and engineering staff to support, maintain, and document the performance of the HET and its instruments.
• Day Operations. Support night operations by preparing the facility for science operations, including testing and calibrating equipment and software.
• Research Environment. Conduct personal research, prepare and present scientific papers at astronomical meetings, and participate in outreach activities.
• Administrative Operations. Work with other resident astronomers to maintain a fully staffed shift schedule, attend staff meetings, keep accurate timesheets, and complete required training and paperwork.

• Master's degree in astronomy or physics, or equivalent.
• Two years of instrumentation, observatory, or data reduction experience with 1+m class telescopes producing science‑grade astronomical data.
• Strong demonstrated commitment to service astronomy.
• Research experience in any area of astronomy.
• At least two years of experience with a scientific programming language.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work and to meet deadlines and expectations.
• Self‑driven individual with keen technical ability and a systematic and detail‑oriented approach.
• Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and strong team player.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all scientific, engineering, and administrative levels.
• Ability to work efficiently and productively with small teams during time‑critical science operations.
• Proficient computer skills.
• Ability to be adaptable, work independently, and serve as an integral member of a project team.
• Demonstrable good judgment.
• Competencies include accuracy and attention to detail, decision making and critical thinking, effective communication, initiative, interpersonal relationships, problem solving, and service excellence.
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

• PhD in astronomy or physics, or equivalent.
• Two years of instrumentation, observations, or data reduction experience working on 3+m class telescopes in optical and/or near‑infrared spectroscopy.
• Postdoctoral research experience with a strong track record of research outputs and publications.
• Capacity to oversee software development related to data acquisition, reduction, and analysis.
• Proficiency in using Linux operating systems; experience writing…