Job Title

Job No.

Center

Location

Date Posted

ATST Scientific Programmer II  

960

NSO

Tucson, AZ

06/26/2009

The National Solar Observatory is seeking qualified applicants for a position as Scientific Programmer II with the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST). The position will be responsible for the development of the ATST Instrument Control System, including the software drivers and controllers for instrument cameras and mechanisms, the software components for scheduling and executing instrument observations, and the interfaces between the ICS and the suite of ATST instruments under development.

The ATST software team is responsible for the development of the ATST software during the construction phase. New software control systems are under construction for the control of the observatory, telescope, instrumentation, and data handling.

The responsibilities for the instrument control software include:

• Design and develop the Instrument Control System (ICS), a software system that manages and coordinates observations for the ATST instruments.
• Develop software controllers and drivers for instrument mechanical components, including motors, analog and digital I/O.
• Develop software for the control and data transfer of technologically advanced scientific cameras.
• Document the design and maintenance information for the ICS.
• Participate in the integration, system testing, and commissioning of the ATST software systems at the headquarters, partner and vendor locations, and Haleakala site.
• Work with instrument developers to design and build instruments that use the ATST software framework and ICS.
• Contribute to the technology development of the ATST software framework.

The position requires occasional travel to Maui, Hawaii and partner and vendor locations in the US and abroad.

Qualifications

The applicant should have the following qualifications:  a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or other qualified field, five or more years experience in software design and development, knowledge of Linux, Unix, and/or Solaris, and proficiency in several programming languages including C/C++, Java, and Python, demonstrated experience in real-time control systems, demonstrated ability to communicate with partners, customers, and other developers, and competency in writing technical documentation and giving oral presentations.

Addition skill in the following areas would be an advantage:  familiarity with the control of astronomical instrumentation, knowledge of motion control and data acquisition, experience with control of scientific cameras, and experience with VxWorks, LabView, EPICS, or PLC programming.

For more information about the ATST Project, please see  http://atst.nso.edu

To apply, please submit an electronic resume. In the subject line, please reference above Job Title and Job Number or mail to:

Send resume to:

Human Resources Office
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
P.O. Box 26732
Tucson, Arizona 85726-6732
Email: hrnoao@noao.edu
FAX: 520-318-8494

NOAO and NSO are affirmative action and equal employment opportunity employers. Preference granted to qualified Native Americans living on or near the Tohono O'Odham Reservation.

NOAO actively support efforts to broaden participation in all Observatory activities. Women and candidates from under represented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.