National Center for Atmospheric Research NSF-NCAR

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) ‘s High Altitude Observatory (HAO) is located in Boulder, Colorado, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. HAO conducts research and provides community support and facilities in the following areas: Geospace Frontiers and Solar Frontiers. See HAO’s modeling and instrumentation/observation.

It is our mission to understand and quantify the impact of Solar variability on Earth’s atmosphere across temporal scales. By fostering the transfer of knowledge and technology we will lead, support, enhance, and extend the capabilities of the university and broader scientific communities nationally and internationally.

It is HAO’s intention to perform world-leading science that improves understanding and forecast capability of space weather hazards and their impacts on the Earth, people, and technology. It is HAO’s vision to provide scientific leadership, observations, and interpretative capabilities to serve the university and broader community. In doing so we will support the engagement, education, and training of early-career scientists and provide advocacy for solar-terrestrial physics to the rest of NCAR, NSF, the university community, and the general public.

To meet our community service goals we have identified and defined 8 strategic working groups that represent what we feel are important research and educational areas of focus.

Solar Flux Origins, Emergence, and Eruptions
Observing and Quantifying Solar Magnetism
The Bz Challenge
Geospace Community Modeling
Data Assimilation Across Disciplines
Space Climate: Radiation, Particles, & Responses
Diversity, Outreach, Mentoring, & Education (DOME)
Community, Partnerships, & Data Stewardship
HAO in the Center Green 1 building

HAO is determined to gain a better understanding of the key physical processes that can both improve and inform next-generation forecasts of space weather, associated hazards, and space climate. It is implied that the implementation plan necessary to make progress with these themes will span the disciplines of solar, heliospheric, magnetospheric, ionospheric, and atmospheric physics. Further, to advance these themes, we must maintain a state-of-the-art observationally focussed program that supports concerted activities in theoretical analysis and numerical simulation.

Topics of interest include the solar interior, lower solar atmosphere, corona and heliosphere, terrestrial and planetary atmosphere, and ionosphere and magnetosphere. Radiative transfer, hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, radiation hydrodynamics, and plasma physics are pursued for both their fundamental physical interests and their applications in the above areas of research.

Homepage: https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/

Key Responsibilities:

Develops instruments and applies analytical tools to study basic physical processes. Serves as Lead Instrument Scientist of the Coronal and Solar Magnetism Observatory (COSMO) Large Coronagraph (i.e., leading role in developing the large Coronagraph instrument as part of the future COSMO facility).

Acts as Principal Investigator and lead instrument scientist for the Upgraded Coronal Multi-Channel Polarimeter (UCoMP) coronagraph operating at Mauna Loa. Works in leadership roles on projects where funding is sought from external sources. As Principal Investigator or lead instrument scientist, responsibilities include: Developing science questions, deriving science requirements, and flowing down to instrument requirements. Supervise instrument design, fabrication, and costing. Develop plans for data calibration and analysis. Work with the science team to implement a data calibration pipeline and validation.

Engages in science research that advances the imperatives and frontiers of the HAO strategic plan. The successful candidate must work with HAO and community scientists on current heliophysics research topics.

Provides scientific expertise and project leadership for various HAO existing and next-generation solar instrumentation projects involving spectropolarimetry. Mentors and guides junior scientists, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.

Job Location: Boulder, CO

Job Type: Hybrid (minimum of 2 days a week is required to be on-site)

Position Type & Term: This will be a full-time, regular position after Appointments Review Group (ARG)* ​approval.

NOTE: This position will be hired as Instrumentation Scientist III and moved to Research Engineer III after the Appointments Review Group (ARG)* ​approval is completed.

*Appointments Review Group (ARG) is the NCAR ladder-track appointments process.

To apply and for more information please check this link: https://ucar.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/UCAR_Careers/job/Center-Green-1/Research-Engineer-III—-Instrumentation-Scientist-III_REQ-2024-46-2