Job description
Join Lowell Observatory, a beacon of astronomical discovery, as an Astronomy Data Scientist. You will collaborate with chief scientists to analyze multi-wavelength data, develop scalable pipelines, and translate complex observations into actionable insights. This role blends rigorous data analysis with scientific exploration, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to frontier research while advancing your technical career.
We value curiosity, collaboration, and a strong drive to turn data into discoveries. You will work in a dynamic team environment that supports professional growth and offers access to world-class facilities and datasets.
Location: Flagstaff, AZ, with opportunities for occasional field work and remote collaboration as project needs dictate.
Responsibility
- Design, implement, and maintain data pipelines for large astronomical datasets (images, spectra, and time-series) from multiple instruments.
- Collaborate with astronomers and engineers to define analysis plans, experiments, and validation strategies.
- Apply statistical methods and machine learning to detect events, classify sources, and extract physical parameters.
- Develop reproducible analysis workflows using Python (Astropy, NumPy, SciPy) and version control (Git).
- Optimize code for high-performance computing environments and cloud platforms.
- Communicate results through visualizations, reports, proposals, and conference presentations.
- Contribute to open-source software and pipelines, and mentor junior team members or interns as needed.
- Document methodologies and maintain thorough project records to support future research and reproducibility.
Qualification
- Master's degree in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physics, Computer Science, or a related field; PhD preferred.
- 2+ years of experience in astronomical data analysis, software development, or research environments.
- Strong programming skills in Python with proficiency in Astropy, NumPy, SciPy, and pandas.
- Experience with data visualization tools such as Matplotlib, Seaborn, or Plotly.
- Proficiency in SQL and data management, with experience in working with large datasets.
- Familiarity with Linux/Unix environments and version control systems (Git).
- Knowledge of telescope instrumentation or observational astronomy is a plus.
- Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities; ability to present complex results to diverse audiences.