What are the responsibilities and job description for the Scientist, Space position at Universities Space Research Association?
USRA and the Science and Technology Institute are seeking a full-time Scientist to work in our Huntsville, Al, office. This candidate will work with the Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT) to expand the use of Earth and Space observation data through innovation, partnerships, and technology. IMPACT builds partnerships with other Federal agencies, the applications community, decision makers, NGOs, and other organizations to encourage the adoption of NASA’s Earth and Space observation data into their workflows and operational models. It enhances NASA’s existing data infrastructure, tools and services to encourage broader use of NASA’s data for all users and enables technology and innovation to lower the barriers to using complex Earth and Space observation data.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
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This candidate will serve as the primary Subject Matter Expert (SME) in either heliophysics, astrophysics, or planetary science, supporting the following projects:
- AI Foundation Models for Science
- DASP (Deep Approximate Shapley Propagation)
- Accelerated Discovery for Science
- Candidate will develop and define targeted scientific use cases to guide AI application development.
- Candidate will establish verification and validation frameworks to quantitatively evaluate the performance of AI applications against science-driven objectives.
- Collaborate with AI development teams to create robust benchmark metrics for effectively assessing and comparing AI model results.
- Provide domain science data expertise (heliophysics, astrophysics, or planetary science) to the DASP team to support the creation and implementation of scientific data governance processes.
- Guide and support the development of scientific analytical infrastructure within DASP, using science domain expertise to ensure alignment with scientific requirements and standards.
Experience:
- Candidate should be experienced in the scientific process and research methodology.
- Postdoc experience is a plus.
- Experience in machine learning is desired but not required.
Education: Ph.D. in physics, space science, heliophysics, astrophysics, planetary science, or similar field.
Working Conditions: This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, etc. extensive online usage. This is largely a sedentary role.
Remote Working: This candidate will need to be located in the Huntsville, AL area.
Travel: The potential exists to travel to other US government facilities and to conferences.
Salary Range: $61,110 - $105,420 (the salary range for this position is directly correlated to the total amount of relevant experience and education)
Applicants should apply to the posting at USRA Careers and include a letter of interest, resume, or curriculum vita. Additional information on USRA can be found at www.usra.edu.
USRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Minorities / Females / Protected Veterans / Disabled / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity.
Salary : $61,110 - $105,420
