Research Associate in CASU Data Science

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 31 March 2026 in the first instance with good prospects for further extension subject to grant funding. The anticipated start date is 1st December 2024 or as early as possible thereafter.

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Astronomical Data Scientist to work within the Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit (CASU) at the Institute of Astronomy (IoA) as part of CASU's spectroscopic analysis system development team.

WEAVE, MOONS and 4MOST are major massively-multiplexed optical/NIR spectrographs currently under advanced stages of development, to be deployed on the 4.2-m William Herschel, ESO VLT and VISTA telescopes respectively. They will enable large, cutting-edge spectroscopic surveys to be undertaken across both hemispheres, observing millions of stars and galaxies during their initial multi-year survey periods. The CASU team has developed the spectroscopic pipelines for WEAVE and 4MOST and has responsibility for the final development, commissioning and operations of the data pipelines. CASU is developing the data flow system and housing the survey operations centre for MOONS.

The successful candidate will join CASU's software development team, developing novel scientific algorithms and applications in the areas of spectroscopic analysis and mining of the science data catalogues extracted from the pipelines. Responsibilities range from monitoring instrument health and scientific quality of the data, tracking progress of the surveys, to preparing for community observing campaigns and data releases. The role's additional duties involve supporting computational infrastructure, coordinating with wider spectroscopic project teams and external science users, contributing to documentation and user manuals, and collaborating on research programs to optimise data interpretation and usage. There are also opportunities to participate in data analysis science under CASU's broader astronomical and medical programmes.

Applicants will have a Ph.D. in astronomy or a related field and have a strong computing and programming background. Candidates are expected to be familiar with the acquisition and reduction of data from astronomical facilities and with the use of database and web-based systems. Previous experience in the development of software for large-scale spectroscopic surveys is desirable. Experience and practical knowledge of Python to query databases, manipulate large datasets, visualise data and perform numerical and statistical analysis is a requirement. Experience in handling 'big data', machine learning and working in distributed teams, is useful. Systems engineering experience is also relevant for this position.

Working at the crucial interface between the instrument and the scientific output, this role would encompass on-site commissioning and support for world-leading facilities such as WHT (WEAVE), VISTA (4MOST) and VLT (MOONS). The post-holder will be required to attend meetings both elsewhere in the UK and overseas.

Salary will be on the Research Associate scale (grade 7, from £36,024 to £44,263). Appointment as a Research Associate (grade 7) is dependent on having a PhD. Those who have submitted their thesis but not yet been awarded their PhD will initially be appointed as a Research Assistant and amended to Research Associate when the PhD is awarded. The Research Assistant salary (grade 5) falls within the range £32,982 to £33,966.

The application deadline is 23:59 BST on Friday 20th September 2024. Where applicable, referees will be requested to provide references by 7th October, 2024.

Applications will be reviewed after the closing date and interviews are provisionally planned for: w/c 14th October 2024

The anticipated start date of the appointment is 1st December 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The University thrives on the diversity of its staff and students. Applications from underrepresented groups are particularly welcome. See the further particulars for the detail of the family friendly initiatives on offer.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.