TESS Science Support Center is hiring

News article posted on by Tom Barclay

The TESS Science Support Center, who run the TESS Guest Investigator Program, are hiring a mission support scientist. The successful applicant will contribute to the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) team, resident within the Astrophysics Sciences Directorate at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. They will primarily be devoted to the development of scientific user tools for the TESS Guest Investigator program. Funded under the auspices of the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology II (CRESST II), and through the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Instructions on how to apply are posted to the AAS job register.

The mission support scientist would have both program support and scientific responsibilities. The scientist would develop software tools to support the TESS GI program, including web-based proposal preparation tools and data analysis tools (e.g., for light curve extraction and modeling). The scientist would also be encouraged to lead as well as contribute to scientific research that utilizes TESS data -- contributing to papers published in scientific journals.

Applicants must have a Ph.D., or equivalent career experience in Astronomy, Astrophysics, or Computer Science, with interest in high-precision photometric data analysis, time-series analysis, light-curve modeling and/or time-domain astronomy. The applicant must have strong software development skills, familiarity with Python/AstroPy, and GitHub. Excellent collaboration and communication skills, along with demonstrated ability to function well as a member of a team, are essential. Additional experience in a science support role and with web development is desirable but not required.

For best consideration submit a Curriculum Vita, list of publications, a 1-2 page statement of experience with supporting scientific research performed by the broader community (e.g., developing software for use by the community or managing an observing program), and contact information for three references by December 3, 2018.