Non-Exempt Temporary or Casual (Kelly Research)

Job Duties
Analysis of data from the Total-Coverage Ultra-Fast Response to Binary Mergers Observatory (or TURBO). TURBO will consist of large-format CMOS detectors mounted on twelves 0.20-meter diameter optical telescopes both at Magdalena Ridge Observatory near Soccoro, NM and at Skinakas Observatory in Crete, Greece. Within two seconds of a trigger alert, TURBO will begin obtaining continuous, multi-band images of more than 150 square degrees. A prototype telescope in St. Paul, Minnesota has been implemented that can acquire images within two seconds of an alert. Counterparts to gravitational-wave detections of mergers will multiply the information available from just the gravitational waves alone by revealing the mergers' distances, environments, and nucleosynthetic products. Given its unique sensitivity to prompt emission, TURBO may detect novel types of counterparts, yielding potential insights, for example, into the poorly understood observed population of binary black-hole mergers. When not responding to gravitational-wave mergers, TURBO will obtain observations of supernovae in nearby galaxies at the time of explosion (4-6 events each year), which can be expected to provide new understanding of their stellar progenitor populations and explosion mechanisms.
50% Software development of data-processing pipeline and survey automation code

10% Communication with team members, including principal investigator

10% Troubleshooting problems with telescope and telescope enclosure operation

30% Analysis of data and preparation of discoveries and analysis for publication

Other duties of a similar scope as assigned.

Required qualifications
BA/BS in Physics, Astronomy or related field.
Need to have at least two years of college-level coursework in Astrophysics, Physics, or Computer Science

Preferred qualifications
Proficiency with Python and experience with astronomical research.

School of Physics and Astronomy: https://cse.umn.edu/physics

Fixed Pay Rate: $16 per hour

Retirement plan options are available for Civil Service, Faculty, Labor-Represented, Professional & Administrative, and Temp Casual classifications. Learn more about retirement plans.

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