Employment at CPI
Software Test and Integration Engineer for Underwater Vehicles
Computational Physics, Inc., seeks a test and integration engineer to support our customers at the Remote Sensing Division (RSD) of the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C.
Description of the Position
RSD is participating in a multi-institution program to develop specialized communications payloads for underwater vehicles (UVs). The overall goal of the work is to deliver integrated software packages into the vehicle's operating software environment. The job of the test and integration engineer requires developing and conducting unit tests, managing the configuration of the software stack, simulating the system performance, and writing and maintaining associated documentation.
Requirements
- A bachelor's degree or higher in science, mathematics, engineering or a related subject is required.
- A minimum of five years of test and integration experience is required.
- U.S. citizenship is required for this project.
- The successful candidate must be familiar with the following software tools:
- Python
- Docker
- Robotics Operating System (ROS)
- Git, Gitlab and Gitlab CICD pipelines
Location, Salary, Benefits, Travel
This is a full-time position based at NRL in Washington, D.C. However, a significant fraction of the work may be done remotely. Minor travel may be required, of the order of one or two trips per year, of a few days' duration. Salary will be commensurate with experience. CPI offers an excellent package of benefits, including vacation, sick leave, "platinum"-level health insurance, profit sharing plan, employee stock ownership plan, and more.
How to Apply
Please send your resume in confidence to employment@cpi.com. In the subject line, please write "integration engineer." A cover letter is optional.
CPI is an Employee-owned Company and an Equal Opportunity Employer
Radio Astronomer
Computational Physics, Inc. seeks a recent Ph.D. scientist for a position in radio interferometry to support our customers at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.
About the Position
The successful candidate will lead research using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) on a range of topics, including active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In addition, he/she will have the responsibility for planning and coordinating VLBA observations for the USNO and its partner institutions, for both research and operational purposes. There will be opportunities for publication.
About the USNO
The USNO is responsible for the production and dissemination of precise time, astrometry, and earth orientation parameters for the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community for use in navigation. As the DoD Celestial Reference Frame manager, USNO collects, manages, validates and disseminates celestial data, and is the authoritative source for all celestial data for the DoD. To support this mission, USNO deploys and operates astronomical telescopes at multiple locations around the world. Its analytic products support Navy, DoD and other U.S. Government needs, such as those of NASA, NOAA and other agencies, as well as the needs of non-U.S. Government users world-wide. The USNO plays an important role in the world scientific community for research on double stars, AGNs, celestial reference frames and geodesy.
About CPI
At CPI we study the physical properties of the Earth and its atmosphere as well as our neighboring planets and the sun. We perform both basic and applied research, including translating our findings into hardware and software products. CPI has served U. S. Government agencies, universities, international science organizations and satellite prime contractors, as well as commercial customers, since 1984. As an employee-owned company, we pride ourselves on our long history and stability, our ability to solve complex scientific and technical challenges, our commitment to quality and integrity and to our customers, and our positive, employee-oriented corporate culture. CPI has been an important contractor at the USNO since 2008.
Required Qualifications
- PhD in astronomy, physics, engineering, or related field.
- Experience with the Common Astronomy Software Applications package (CASA).
- Experience with the Astronomical Image Processing System (AIPS).
- Proficiency in one or more programming languages commonly used to support scientific research, such as Python, IDL, C/C++, etc.
- A publication record appropriate for a recent Ph.D.
- U.S. citizenship is required for this position.
Aditional Desirable qualifications
- Expertise in Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is highly desirable.
- Experience using the VLBA or VLBA-derived data is highly desirable.
Location, Telework, Benefits
The position is located at the USNO in Washington, D.C. A small amount of travel may be required. Telework may be authorized. CPI offers an excellent package of benefits, including health insurance, retirement benefits, annual leave, sick leave, Federal holidays, tuition assistance and others. Our health insurance, annual leave and retirement benefits exceed the industry standard.
How to Apply
Please send your resume in confidence to employment@cpi.com. In the subject line, please write "interferometry." A cover letter is optional. The position is open now.
CPI is an Employee-owned Company and an Equal Opportunity Employer
Optical Astronomer
Computational Physics, Inc. seeks a recent Ph.D. scientist for a position in optical astronomy to support our customers at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.
About the Position
The successful candidate conduct research using online photometry archives such as Gaia, ZTF, and WISE to understand the multi-wavelength morphological characteristics of active galactic nuclei and quasars, especially blazars. There will be a focus on the time domain and variability. He/she will also pursue photometric monitoring campaigns using both USNO and non-USNO telescopes. There will be opportunities for publication.
About the USNO
The USNO is responsible for the production and dissemination of precise time, astrometry, and earth orientation parameters for the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community for use in navigation. As the DoD Celestial Reference Frame manager, USNO collects, manages, validates and disseminates celestial data, and is the authoritative source for all celestial data for the DoD. To support this mission, USNO deploys and operates astronomical telescopes at multiple locations around the world. Its analytic products support Navy, DoD and other U.S. Government needs, such as those of NASA, NOAA and other agencies, as well as the needs of non-U.S. Government users world-wide. The USNO plays an important role in the world scientific community for research on double stars, AGNs, celestial reference frames and geodesy.
About CPI
At CPI we study the physical properties of the Earth and its atmosphere as well as our neighboring planets and the sun. We perform both basic and applied research, including translating our findings into hardware and software products. CPI has served U. S. Government agencies, universities, international science organizations and satellite prime contractors, as well as commercial customers, since 1984. As an employee-owned company, we pride ourselves on our long history and stability, our ability to solve complex scientific and technical challenges, our commitment to quality and integrity and to our customers, and our positive, employee-oriented corporate culture. CPI has been an important contractor at the USNO since 2008.
Required Qualifications
- Ph.D. in astronomy, physics, engineering, or related field with experience in radio interferometry, data reduction, and analysis
- Proficiency in Python, including demonstrated skill with object-oriented programming.
- Experience applying statistical methods to data, such as non-parametric tests, maximum likelihood estimators, or Bayesian methods.
- Experience with photometric data reduction and calibration.
- A publication record appropriate for a recent Ph.D.
- Experience using archival space-based photometry.
- U.S. citizenship is required for this position.
Aditional Desirable qualifications
- Experience with synthetic photometry and spectral energy distribution fitting/decomposition.
- Experience with spectral data analysis and fitting.
- Experience with the engineering or characterization of CCD or CMOS/sCMOS detectors.
- Experience using SQL, ADQL, or TAP queries to mine databases.
- Research background in active galactic nuclei.
Location, Telework, Benefits
The position is located at the USNO in Washington, D.C. A small amount of travel may be required. Telework may be authorized. CPI offers an excellent package of benefits, including health insurance, retirement benefits, annual leave, sick leave, Federal holidays, tuition assistance and others. Our health insurance, annual leave and retirement benefits exceed the industry standard.
How to Apply
Please send your resume in confidence to employment@cpi.com. In the subject line, please write "optical astronomy." A cover letter is optional. The position is open now.
CPI is an Employee-owned Company and an Equal Opportunity Employer