Antarctic Research Associate (Alternate)

About the role

The McMurdo Research Associate supports a variety of scientific research projects in the physical and astrophysical sciences at McMurdo Station during the austral summer (October to February).

Responsibilities

• Deploys to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, from early October to late February.
• Maintains, troubleshoots, and repairs a variety of equipment used in the long-term monitoring of physical phenomena including (but not limited to) UV spectroradiometers, GPS receivers, VLF radio receivers, seismometers, all sky imagers, lasers, magnetometers, photometers, interferometers, and other optical instruments.
• Collections, archives, and transmits data and status reports to project researchers.
• Regularly employs ingenuity and creativity to develop new technical solutions and systems in order to achieve functional objectives.

Requirements

• Requires ability to apply principles, theories, and concepts from the technical domain and has a broad understanding of other related specialty areas.
• Requires a BS degree and 4 – 8 years of prior relevant experience, or a Masters degree with 2 – 6 years of prior relevant experience, or equivalent.
• Able to work independently to achieve day-to-day objectives with significant impact on operational results or project deliverables.
• Fluency with networking topics and file transfer tools required. Administrator ability for Macintosh and Linux/Unix platforms required. Unix system administration ability required.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physics, Electrical, Aeronautical or other engineering discipline is preferred.
• A background in an academic research environment providing direct support to science projects is preferred.
• Experience in general computer repair including IBM-PC, Macintosh, and network equipment preferred.
• Experience with Python and SQL databases; RA should be able to write scripts for automation and reporting, including visualizations.
• Two years’ experience in laboratory or observatory technical work. Laboratory or observatory technical work should include operational experience utilizing experimental, physical, optical, or atmospheric science equipment.
• Experience handling cryogens preferred but not required.

Skills

• Ability to apply principles, theories, and concepts from the technical domain and has a broad understanding of other related specialty areas.
• BS degree and 4 – 8 years of prior relevant experience, or a Masters degree with 2 – 6 years of prior relevant experience, or equivalent.
• Able to work independently to achieve day-to-day objectives with significant impact on operational results or project deliverables.
• Fluency with networking topics and file transfer tools required. Administrator ability for Macintosh and Linux/Unix platforms required. Unix system administration ability required.
• Master’s degree or higher in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physics, Electrical, Aeronautical or other engineering discipline is preferred.
• A background in an academic research environment providing direct support to science projects is preferred.
• Experience in general computer repair including IBM-PC, Macintosh, and network equipment preferred.
• Experience with Python and SQL databases; RA should be able to write scripts for automation and reporting, including visualizations.
• Two years’ experience in laboratory or observatory technical work. Laboratory or observatory technical work should include operational experience utilizing experimental, physical, optical, or atmospheric science equipment.
• Experience handling cryogens preferred but not required.

Benefits

This is a seasonal position (approx. 5 months) with an expected salary range of $77,000 - $87,000 annually ($6,417 - $7,250 per month deployed), plus a percentage increase during deployment.

Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance. This process may take up to 4 months.

Eligibility for deployment will require physical and dental evaluations with parameters determined by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Due To Contract Requirements, US Citizenship Is Required.

Pay

Pay Range $69,550.00 - $125,725.00

Schedule

This is a seasonal position (approx. 5 months) with an expected salary range of $77,000 - $87,000 annually ($6,417 - $7,250 per month deployed), plus a percentage increase during deployment.

Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance. This process may take up to 4 months.

Eligibility for deployment will require physical and dental evaluations with parameters determined by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Due To Contract Requirements, US Citizenship Is Required.