Research Associate, McDonald Observatory

University of Texas at Austin

5d

About The Position

This position is supports instrumentation software required for the Giant Magellan Telescope Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GMTNIRS). GMTNIRS is one of four instruments being built for the Giant Magellan Telescope and will serve as a reliable spectrograph for the US astronomical community for many decades. The Research Associate will collaborate with the GMTNIRS instrument team to develop the software through the Final Design and into the Development phases. Prototype software development is ongoing, but future software must meet GMT standards. The software will control the instrument, help astronomers plan their observations, interface with telescope systems, and deliver science-quality reduced data products. Software is a key part of GMTNIRS. This position will report to Dr. Gregory Mace (PI), and will be a vital team member throughout the project. The Research Associate will develop software for the GMTNIRS instrument that complies with GMT standards, including instrument control, observing planning, data acquisition, and data reduction.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Astronomy or related field.
• Extensive knowledge of infrared spectroscopy.
• Research experience in instrumentation and/or instrument support.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Attention to detail, effective problem-solving skills, and excellent judgment.
• Research experience developing open-source software for scientific research.
• Proficiency in Python and other programming languages.
• Proficiency in using Git for collaborative software development.
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

• Previous research experience in any of the following areas: high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy, instrument software development, instrumentation.
• Four years of postdoctoral experience in spectrograph software development
• Experience mentoring students and working with engineers.

Responsibilities

• GMTNIRS Software Development. Team members are working with their own software for subsystems, and there is heritage software from the IGRINS spectrograph. This role will learn and enforce the requirements of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) facility while planning and developing the system software. This includes low-level development for instrument components and high-level development for user interfaces.
• Future Instrument Software Development. The IGRINS spectrograph has a funded upgrade for a polarimeter. This role will require software solutions for observation and data reduction. The Research Associate will work with the team to expand the IGRINS lessons learned to meet those future demands. Also, perform other duties as assigned to meet project needs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree