Research Assistant

Research Assistant

USRA is accepting applications for a grant-funded Research Assistant to support Dr. Randolf Klein, on the SOFIA program grant 04_0049 “The structure of a PDR - M17-SW”, in the preparation and analysis of the FIFI-LS data of M17-SW obtained under this program for a publication.

The Research Assistant will work on the FIFI-LS data of M17-SW, a photon-dominated region (PDR). The data needs to be reviewed for instrumental artifacts and if necessary re-reduced. From the data cubes, line intensities and continuum flux densities need to be extracted. Software tools in IDL and Python exist for these tasks, but some software development will be necessary to handle peculiarities in the data. For the analysis of the extracted data, the Research Assistant needs to become familiar with PDR-models like CLOUDY, KOSMA-tau, or the Meudon PDR Models, because he or she will use PDR-models to derive physical quantities from the observed line intensities as part of the interpretation of the data.

We are looking for candidates with the following qualifications:

• Bachelor degree in Astronomy or a related field or equivalent certificate(s) or work experience
• 1-2 years of experience in the field of astronomy, experience with infrared astronomical data or PDR modeling is a plus
• Substantial experience with astronomical data reduction using IDL or Python

Applicants should apply to the posting at USRA Careers and submit a cover letter, and a copy of their resume and a description of their research interests, including relevance to the above stated project. Additional information on USRA can be found at www.usra.edu.

USRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled/ Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity

Job Location - Moffett Field, CA

Position Type - Full-Time/Visiting