Database Manager for YSOC

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA

JOB DETAILS
SKILLS
Application Programming Interface (API), Astronomy, Astrophysics, Benchmarking, CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), Database Administration, Django, JavaScript, PostgreSQL, Python Programming/Scripting Language, Relational Databases (RDBMS), SQL Databases, Star Schema, Team Player, User Interface/Experience (UI/UX)
LOCATION
Pasadena, CA
POSTED
18 days ago

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world''s brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

Job Summary

The database manager will have full responsibility for maintaining, updating, and upgrading a comprehensive database of young stellar objects, star forming regions, moving groups, and benchmark open clusters in the nearby Milky Way. There is also opportunity for related collaborative research projects.

Essential Job Duties

The successful job candidate will perform various tasks related to populating a relational database that allows users to access, search, and better exploit YSO data for new science investigations. The person will work with an existing SQL database running on PostgreSQL, that is created and managed by python scripts and the Django framework and is connected to a front-end user interface written in HTMI, JavaScript, and CSS. They will learn, operate within, and improve the database population workflow. The goals are to: (1) optimize large-scale data ingestion; (2) implement already-identified fixes and improvements to the workflow; 3) add new features to the existing codebase. Tasks include processing files that have been downloaded from the astronomical literature and source catalogs and reformatting them in a manner suitable for upload into the YSOC database. Additional tasks relate to backend code development, with an opportunity to engage in frontend development.

Basic Qualifications

  • Ph.D. degree in astronomy
  • Must be knowledgeable and experienced in the fields of young stellar objects and star formation in the Milky Way, and deeply familiar with the body of relevant astronomical literature
  • Must have working knowledge of the Astrophysics Data System (ADS), Vizier, SIMBAD, and the tabular archiving practices of the primary journals in the field
  • Must be able to parse, sort, and organize large amounts of tabular information
  • Must have proficiency in the Python programming language including API query practices
  • Must be able to work independently and collaborate effectively with the PI

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with codebase management
  • Familiarity with and proficiency in SQL databases and Django

Required Documents

  • CV
  • Cover Letter

About the Company

C

California Institute of Technology