Job Information
University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill Post-Doc Research Associate in NC-Chapel-Hill, United States
Vacancy ID: PDS004270
Position Summary/Description:
The Argus Array will be the first very large optical telescope array, with a light collecting area equivalent to a 5-meter telescope and a 55-gigapixel digital camera, which will be the largest ever built. The Array will push our observations of the universe into a new regime, scanning the sky 100,000x faster than current nightly-cadence sky surveys. Argus will capture a continuous two-color, 55-gigapixel movie of the night sky, shared with the entire astronomical community in real-time through public transient alerts, images, and light curves with millions of epochs for hundreds of millions of stars. Joining our team of astronomers, telescope-instrumentalists, and data scientists, you will be responsible for the Argus Array’s systems engineering. Three years of prototyping efforts have developed and validated the system design and all major subsystems; we are now funded to scale up to the full Argus Array. This scale up involves the design and construction of the system’s external enclosure and tracking mount; the at-scale production of the telescope assemblies; construction of the array’s computing cluster, and the final assembly and commissioning of the Array. Major components of the Array, including the optical and sensor assemblies and the telescope cradle, will be manufactured by contractors under the lead engineer in collaboration with the systems engineer, the Argus Array Director and project team. Our project management philosophy emphasizes a small and local team; flat management structure; and a highly-collaborative working environment. We routinely produce prototypes and complex hardware in-house, and all team members can expect to perform significant hands-on engineering for Argus subsystems. The systems engineer will lead the validation of the Argus Array hardware subsystems, including the tracking and polar alignment drives, optical alignment systems, and laboratory and on-site testing. In collaboration with the lead engineer, the Argus systems engineer will also manage vendor oversight. This position involves working with the project team to evaluate the deployment sites currently being assessed in North America, the Chilean Andes, and the Canary Islands. The systems engineer will work with the lead engineer to manage construction, safety, quality management, risk, and project schedules. Additionally, the systems engineer will optimize the commissioning process for individual telescope units and develop and document efficient installation procedures to rapidly commission the 900-telescope Argus Array.
Education and Experience:
Complex understanding of technology and electronics. Prior experience with working on complex modular systems is desirable. Someone who can solve problems efficiently in a collaborative environment Ability to iterate and improve designs as needed Ability to develop and deploy control systems on large clusters or edge computers Someone with an eye for detail, who can learn quickly and adapt to new surroundings and is highly motivated and enthusiastic about building a one-of-a-kind, world-class array telescope.