There is an open postdoctoral research position open at Southwest Research Institute’s office in Boulder Colorado to work with Marc Buie on outer solar system projects. These projects include high-precision crowded-field photometry of Pluto to track its long-term photometric behavior, and leveraging Gaia astrometry to enable observations of solar system object occultations.
Job Summary:
Work with ground-based photometry and astrometry. The photometry project is largely focused on the long-term photometric behavior of Pluto requiring high-precision crowded field image processing. The astrometric work is focused on outer solar system objects in support of occultation observations with specific emphasis on taking advantage of the new astrometric catalog to be released from the Gaia mission.
Education/Experience:
Requires a PhD degree in Planetary Science or related with 0 – 3 years experience. Must have at least a 3.0 GPA. Strong background in scientific data processing and software development is needed. Experience in one of C/C++, IDL, or Python coding is required but experience with IDL is the most desirable. Experience relevant to conducting ground-based telescopic observations, including stellar occultation observations, is also necessary. Database experience is desired. A valid/clear driver’s license is required.
Special Considerations:
Work assignment is in Boulder, Colorado. This is a 2 year limited term assignment.