Software Engineer (M/F) - Roman Coronagraph Simulation Pipeline

Location: Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), Marseille, France
Contract type: 2-year fixed term contract
Start date: January 2025 (flexible)

Position Context

This position is offered in the framework of the Roman Space Telescope, NASA's upcoming astrophysics mission, for which the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) is an international partner. The telescope, currently in the assembly and verification phase at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, is scheduled for launch in November 2026, with a 5-year science mission. You will work on software tools for the Coronagraph instrument, a technology demonstrator designed for the direct imaging of exoplanets, a precursor for searching for signs of life on Earth-like planets with the future Habitable Worlds Observatory mission. As part of the science consortium led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), you will work in an international and collaborative environment to develop observation tools and programs. At LAM, you will join the ESCAPE team, funded by the European Union to develop advanced image processing methods that enhance exoplanet detection for these space missions.

Job Description

As a software engineer, your primary mission will be to develop the software tools needed to prepare for observations with the Roman telescope's Coronagraph, particularly the data simulation pipeline. You will collaborate closely with U.S. scientific teams responsible for this pipeline and tools, as well as with LAM's scientific team, experts in instrumentation and exoplanet observations. You will be part of CeSAM, LAM's department dedicated to scientific computing solutions.

Your main activities will include:

• Development of the data simulation pipeline: modeling the astrophysical scene and generating synthetic images in the instrument's output format, in collaboration with the U.S.-based scientists responsible for the simulator.

• Design and development of observation support tools: exposure time calculator, observation program planner, and data reduction pipeline.

• Support for local R&D activities related to Coronagraph observations: developing and maintaining the local beta-simulator, preparing specific observations, and curating JWST coronagraphic image archives.