DESI Operations Postdoctoral Fellow

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's (LBNL) Physics Division has an opening for a Postdoctoral Fellow to join the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Data Management and/or Survey Operations teams.

In this exciting role, you will work with DESI to produce the 10s of millions of high-quality spectra for the world's largest spectroscopic redshift survey. You will contribute improvements to algorithms and workflow, track quality assurance, and monitor survey progress. This high-profile position within the collaboration supports the analyses of hundreds of DESI scientists worldwide, including world-leading dark energy cosmology results. In addition to the Survey Operations and Data Management work, you will have a portion of your time reserved for DESI science analyses of their choice.

What You Will Do:

• Monitor and report quality of daily spectroscopic data processing.
• Maintain and improve spectroscopic pipeline algorithms in response to issues discovered in data and by science analyses.
• Interact with DESI collaboration science working groups to assist them with using the DESI data and improve the data processing algorithms in response to the needs of the science analyses.
• Coordinate with the survey team to schedule calibrations and observations based upon data quality.
• Coordinate regular DESI software releases for reprocessing runs, including testing and documentation.
• Contribute to the operations of the spectroscopic pipeline at NERSC, both the daily runs and the reprocessing for the data assemblies
• Independently plan and complete projects within DESI Data Management.
• Contribute to larger collaborative projects with others from the DESI Data Management team.
• Conduct original research independently and in collaboration, using DESI spectroscopic data, interacting with LBNL and other investigators on similar or related scientific problems.
• Document and communicate results of work in peer-reviewed journal publications and presentations.

What is Required:

• Recent Ph.D. or equivalent in Physics, Astronomy, or a closely related field.
• Experience in cosmology, astronomy, or particle physics research.
• Analysis experience with astronomical spectra and/or imaging data.
• Experience with data processing on Linux clusters and/or High-Performance Computing systems.
• Strong Python programming skills.
• Knowledge of astronomical data processing methods.
• Ability to work as a team member to accomplish goals on a collaborative software project.
• Detail oriented, with good written and oral communication skills.

Desired Qualifications:

• C++, Julia, and/or Javascript.
• MPI programming and/or non-MPI parallelism methods.
• GPU programming.
• Code profiling and optimization.
• Git code versioning workflow, including branches and pull requests.
• Docker or other containers.
• Databases.
• Web programming.
• Continuous integration & testing frameworks.
• Ability to mentor students.

The posting will remain open until the position is filled, however for full consideration please apply by close of business on Monday January 27, 2025

How to Apply:

Please visit Academic Jobs Online to create a profile and submit the requested application materials. Note that applications will only be accepted via this Academic Jobs Online URL:

https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/29543

The following requested application materials listed below must be submitted through Academic Jobs Online:

1. Research Statement - 3 page limit not including citations and figures.
2. Curriculum Vitae - include up to 5 most relevant publications in the CV
3. Reference Letters - Arrange to have 3 letters of reference submitted online by the reference writers at this site, with at least one, preferably two, external to LBNL/UC Berkeley.

Notes:

• This is a full time, M-F, exempt from overtime pay (monthly paid), 2-year postdoctoral appointment with the possibility of renewal based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds, and ongoing operational needs. You must have less than 3 years of paid postdoctoral experience.
• Salary for Postdoctoral positions depends on years of experience post-degree and predetermined based on postdoctoral step rates.
• This position is represented by a union for collective bargaining purposes.
• The monthly salary range for this position is $ 5,562 - $6,670 and is expected to start at $6,317 or above. Postdoctoral positions are paid on a step schedule per union contract and salaries will be predetermined based on postdoctoral step rates. Each step represents one full year of completed post-Ph.D. postdoctoral experience.
• As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.
• This position may be subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.
• Work will be primarily performed at: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA.

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Berkeley Lab (LBNL) addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 16 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

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