Research Assistant in Analysis of Astrophysics Data

About the role

This Research Assistant position will support the PRIMA UK project. PRIMA is a proposal for a NASA astrophysics probe class mission, currently undergoing a Phase A study. PRIMA will be an astrophysics observatory designed to understand: the Origin of Planets and their Atmospheres; Co-Evolution of Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes and the Buildup of Dust and Metals. In the UK we are leading on using advanced data analysis techniques to understand and enhance the spatial resolution. This role will be at the heart of that work, helping us to evaluate design decisions at this critical stage of the mission. Your work will be producing computer simulations of the images that PRIMA would observe under different designs. You will then be processing these synthetic images using our XID+ deconvolution software. You will need to provide comparative analysis for different scenarios for presentation to the PRIMA team.

About you

You will have been educated to degree level or have equivalent experience in a scientific subject. You will be very experienced with python coding.  You will need to be able to use and adapt research code. You will need experience of running code on university high performance computer systems. You will need to be able to understand error analysis and be able to assess the differences between alternative scenarios in a rigorous way. You’ll need to be able to understand new tasks quickly and deliver analysis on short timescales. Experience of applying these skills to astronomy data or very similar data sets is required. Due to the urgency and short time available for this work, knowledge of astronomy and the PRIMA mission would be a strong advantage.

About our School

Please find further information regarding the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

The School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences is proud to hold a Bronze Athena Swan Award.

Why work here

Find out more about our reward and benefits package.

Find out about our equality, diversity and inclusion

Further Key Information

Please contact Seb Oliver S.Oliver@Sussex for informal enquiries.

The University is committed to equality and valuing diversity, and applications are particularly welcomed from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) at Sussex.

Please note that this position may be subject to ATAS clearance if you require visa sponsorship.

The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK. 

Visa Sponsorship Queries: This role may be eligible for sponsorship. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship.

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