Pipeline Scientist

SETI INSTITUTE

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Pipeline Scientist

FLSA Status: Exempt, Full time

Reports To: Jeffrey Smith

Location: SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, USA

Salary Range: $95,000 - $110,000

REQUIRED: A cover letter, resume and application are required attachments.

Applications received without a cover letter and resume will not be accepted.

Apply here: https://www.seti.org/career-center/pipeline-scientist/

Please do not apply using the EASY APPLY button on other platforms.

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ABOUT THE SETI INSITITUTE

The SETI Institute is a non-profit research organization, located in Silicon Valley close to NASA Ames Research Center. It serves as an institutional home for research and educational projects related to the study of life in the universe. The Institute's interests include astronomy and planetary sciences, the origins of life, as well as its chemical, biological, and cultural evolution. Its mission is to lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe and share that knowledge with the world.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This is a great opportunity for an early career researcher with plans to pursue a career in Data Science and use this role to learn and leverage raw space-based data to reveal groundbreaking discoveries. In this role, you will develop the 'brains' behind two major initiatives: searching for habitable worlds in our nearest star system (TOLIMAN) and protecting Earth from asteroid impacts through advanced machine learning (Bolide Detection). We seek a candidate with a strong demonstrated desire to participate in forefront scientific research, discover new potentially habitable exoplanets, protect our planet from dangerous asteroids and investigate the prevalence of life in the universe.

The TOLIMAN (Telescope for Orbit Locus Interferometric Monitoring of our Astronomical Neighborhood) space telescope is a low-cost mission aimed at detecting exoplanets via the astrometry method, and specifically targeting the Alpha Centauri system, our nearest-neighbor star system. Its primary science goal is a search for temperate-orbit rocky planets around either star in the Centauri AB binary. By performing narrow-angle astrometric monitoring of binary stars at extreme precision, any exoplanets will betray their presence by way of gravitationally induced perturbations on the binary orbit. Recovery of this signal is challenging, for it amounts to only a few micro-arcseconds of angular deflection (at best). By implementing an innovative optical and signal encoding architecture, the TOLIMAN space telescope, a 16U CubeSat spacecraft, aims to recover such signals with a telescope aperture of only 12.5 cm.

Looking back towards the Earth, weather satellite data contains a wealth of information well beyond its application to meteorology. The GOES weather satellite Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instruments detect millions of lightning strikes per day. Within these "haystacks" of lightning are a handful of "needles" of bolides (aka bright fireballs or exploding meteors). We have deployed a multi-stage machine-learning-based pipeline to identify these bolides. Our goal is to create a rich, calibrated, and consistently processed data set of bolide light curves that can be used by the planetary defense community to assess the risks associated with large asteroid impacts. Detections are published on a NASA hosted publicly available website, https://neo-bolide.ndc.nasa.gov.

You will support the pipeline development, deployment, operations and post-run data analyses for both projects to ensure quality pipeline results and scientific discoveries. You will contribute to the assessment of results to document data quality and any spacecraft or instrument issues affecting the data products. You will be expected to further develop the pipeline algorithms, contribute to scientific analysis, and provide oversight during software review and testing, as well as support day-to-day pipeline operations. Remote work will be considered but would require periodic travel to in-person team meetings.

Professional Growth: We value scientific autonomy. You are encouraged to devote 20% of your time to independent research, leading your own publications, and applying for external research grants or fellowships. We actively encourage the development of community open-source tools.

Term and Career Path: The TOLIMAN mission has a 3-year duration, however the position can continue past that duration contingent upon satisfactory deliverables and availability of additional funding. The SETI Institute is involved in a large variety of science projects related to processing both large and small data sets, data analytics and machine learning. The position could evolve as you contribute to various projects across the Institute. Success in this role requires you to effectively manage and contribute to concurrent, distinct scientific projects with varying priorities. You will also be encouraged to participate in outreach and educational activities at the SETI Institute to help fulfill our goal to educate the public and the next generation of scientists.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Algorithm & Software Development

• Develop science algorithms for data analysis pipelines in Python and other languages.
• Write efficient, elegant and maintainable code.
• Utilize version control systems and provide accurate development timelines for mission-critical tasks.
• Support and maintain software after deployment.

Mission Operations & Quality

• Develop validation test plans and run unit tests for new functionality.
• Participate in formal Verification and Validation (V&V) activities prior to pipeline software releases.
• Formulate analytical models and revise algorithms in response to testing and integration.
• Attend weekly team meetings and report progress on a weekly basis.
• Adapt focus flexibly between projects to meet high-priority mission deadlines.

Scientific Contributions

• Document as-built algorithms and test cases through Design Notes and publications.
• Attend science conferences to investigate novel data processing techniques.
• Work on international projects where some meetings and other activities will be outside of standard working hours.
• Publish results in peer-reviewed journals.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. degree in physics, astronomy, Earth science, computer science, aerospace engineering or a related field.
• Proven expertise in building data pipelines, machine learning models, and data-driven analysis.
• Deep understanding of numerical modeling and signal processing techniques.
• Demonstrated proficiency in the analysis of science data and developing software to process and reduce science data.
• Proficiency in Python (or equivalent) and experience with Linux, shell scripting and software version control.
• Knowledge of the basics of astronomy, CCD imaging, and geospatial analysis.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot complex issues and adapt to evolving mission schedules.
• Exceptional communication skills with a focus on technical precision (virtual, in-person, and written).

Preferred experience with:

• Interferometry, astrometry and exoplanet detection.
• Earth observation satellites and meteors.
• Image analysis and time series signal processing.
• Advanced machine learning modeling and training, and artificial intelligence.
• Data processing pipeline operations for science missions.
• Issue tracking, project management, and documentation software, such as with Jira.
• High performance supercomputing and cloud computing

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Constantly perform desk-based computer tasks.
• Frequently standing, walking, sitting, reaching and carrying.
• Occasionally pulling, pushing and kneeling.
• Occasionally lifting up to 25 pounds.

The SETI Institute is an Affirmative Action Employer and members of underrepresented communities and demographics are particularly encouraged to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ and people with disabilities.

EEO/AA/Disability/Veteran Employer