ISAAC NEWTON GROUP OF TELESCOPES
A vacancy exists for a fixed-term IT/software engineering position to work on the development of a world-class laser guide star system for the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope. The post holder will primarily work on the development of a laser-traffic control system to avoid interference of the laser with other telescopes at the observatory.
The Isaac Newton Group comprises three optical telescopes: the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT), the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) and the 1-m Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope (JKT). They are situated at an altitude of 2400m at the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. Our telescopes are equipped with an extensive range of imaging and spectrographic instruments, including a robotic fibre-optics feed, an adaptive optics system, optical and IR detectors, and acquisition and autoguider TV systems. The telescopes achieve world-class performance and are in operation 365 nights of the year.
Recently, ING initiated a large new development programme for the construction of a laser guide star system that will work together with the existing Adaptive Optics (AO) instrumentation. The laser system will greatly enhance the capability of the AO system, as it will extend the use of AO to nearly any position in the sky.
The laser envisaged will project a light beam in the sky. Precautions must therefore be taken that the laser beam does not affect observations at other telescope. The post holder will design and build a software system that collects information from all the telescopes at the observatory and then decides whether the laser can be used without affecting other telescopes. This part of the laser project is funded by the European Union.
The main duties of the post are:
Aptitudes:
· Self-motivated, and capable of working alone as well as in a team;
· Good communicator;
· Work in a systematic fashion;
Knowledge and Experience:
Successful applicants must possess up-to-date knowledge and experience with high level programming languages (e.g. C, Java) and scripting languages. Knowledge of computing hardware and operating systems would be an advantage. Ideally applicants should have a degree in an appropriate engineering or scientific discipline. Good communication skills are crucial in this post.
The working language at the observatory is English, and therefore good practical oral and written knowledge of this language is essential. You should be willing and capable to work occasionally at an altitude of 2400 meters. A driving licence is also an essential requirement.
The post will form part of the control software group and will be for one year initially. The starting salary for the post is 26,851 euros per annum, increasing to 28,264 euros per annum subject to satisfactory performance.
Interested persons should complete an application form available at http://www.ing.iac.es/About-ING/Vacancies/vacancies1.html and send it to the ING Personnel Section by 25 April 2004.
For further information on this post please contact the Head of Control Software Group, Frank Gribbin: fjg@ing.iac.es.