Job Openings as of Dec 2019

Postdoctoral Scholar - Time Domain - Department of Astronomy

The Department of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar to lead the development of software infrastructure and scientific algorithms for inference on time-series data from new and existing synoptic surveys. The work, conducted with a diverse and engaged set of individuals within Prof. Joshua Bloom’s group, is sponsored by a new software grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

This position revolves around SkyPortal, an open-source project centered at Berkeley that enables collaborative management and analysis of time-domain sources and events. As the project begins to be adopted by leading surveys, the postdoctoral scholar will be responsible for developing SkyPortal to ensure that its scientific potential is realized worldwide—both by Bloom-group collaborators and others. The scholar will help to manage and grow the user community with an eye towards creating a long-term sustainable open-source project.

In addition to software development, a critical component of this position is the generation of original, scholarly scientific output that makes primary use of (and/or expands the capabilities of) SkyPortal. This may include algorithmic development in methodological areas such semi-supervised learning, unsupervised anomaly detection, explainable/interpretable AI, and forecasting. It may also include domain-specific efforts in gravitational wave followup, tidal disruption events, or variable stars.

This work may draw on cutting-edge research in statistics, computational science, time-domain astronomy, and deep learning, and is expected to lead to applications beyond astronomy. The collaboration has access to proprietary astronomical datasets and is building systems capable of ingesting, assimilating, and creating "new knowledge" from massive data streams expected from forthcoming projects, such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF2). The collaboration also has access to large-scale computing facilities on campus, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and through cloud computing time donated by industry partners.

This work will be directed by Prof. Joshua Bloom in the Astronomy Department, but the position also calls for strong interactions with other senior members of the collaboration in other departments (particularly Dr. Stefan van der Walt, project lead, and Prof. Fernando Perez) and at the Berkeley Institute for Data Science. Experience and a demonstrated interest in working with graduate students is also encouraged.

The strongest candidates will have demonstrated success in conducting original research in astronomy, statistics, machine learning (deep or otherwise) and should have a strong track record in building and maintaining Python computing codebases.

Basic/Minimum Qualifications (at time of application):

PhD or equivalent international degree or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree program.

Additional Qualifications (by start date):

A PhD degree or equivalent international degree is required by the start date.

Preferred Qualifications:

A PhD degree or equivalent international degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Astronomy, or closely related fields.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. UC Berkeley offers excellent benefits packages as well as a number of policies and programs in to support employees as they

balance work and family. Information on available plans and eligibility can be found at https://vspa.berkeley.edu/postdoc-health-insurance-and-benefits

The position is at full time (100%) for two years, with the possibility for a third-year extension depending on the availability of funds. The position will be open until filled. This position is in a represented bargaining unit. Work will commence no later than 15 August 2020. The appointment may start on an earlier date, if mutually convenient.

To apply:

Please submit applications electronically at https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF02472

For questions contact Emily Martinez at emartinez24@berkeley.edu.

All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html) prior to submitting their letters.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

Scientific Software Developer Position at UC Berkeley

Applications Programmer Level

A full-time software engineering position is available at the University of California, Berkeley to collaborate on the development of software for ingesting and representing time-series data from new and existing synoptic surveys. The work, conducted with a diverse and engaged set of individuals within Prof. Joshua Bloom’s group, is sponsored by a new software grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

This position revolves around SkyPortal, an open-source project centered at Berkeley that enables collaborative management and analysis of time-domain sources and events in astronomy. The project employs technologies including Python, Tornado, and PostgreSQL for the backend, as well as TypeScript, React, and Redux for the frontend. Our overarching goal is to establish SkyPortal as a long-term sustainable open-source project with a vibrant community. The developer will be responsible for the development of the platform—according to an existing roadmap—and, as SkyPortal gains increasing adoption, for responding to the needs of Bloom Group collaborators as well as scientific users from the wider community.

This work will be directed by Prof. Joshua Bloom in the Astronomy Department, but calls for strong interactions with other members of the collaboration, in particular Dr Stefan van der Walt at the Berkeley Institute for Data Science (project lead). Minimum qualifications include a bachelor's degree in a technical discipline or, alternatively, several years of experience as a software developer. A high level of proficiency in Python is essential. Experience in JavaScript, frontend design, and database systems will strengthen the candidate's position.

Work will commence no later than 15 August 2020. The appointment may start on an earlier date, if mutually convenient (funding is already available to start as early as January 2020). The initial appointment is for two years. The starting salary will be commensurate with experience, and competitive with other software developer positions. Please e-mail a cover letter (<= 2 pages), resume, and links to significant software projects or code contributions so that they arrive by the 15 February 2020 deadline to Prof. Joshua Bloom, at the above address. To receive full consideration, applicants should arrange to have letters of reference from three individuals sent to Prof. Bloom by the 15 February 2020 due date (letters may also be emailed directly by the referees). Immigration status of non-citizens should be stated in the resume.

Included Benefits:

Benefits and compensation as per the rules and regulations governing such appointments at UC Berkeley.