Gaia Vacancies

 

Openings

 

2023-10-31 Vacancy for Gaia Project Scientist

At the European Space Agency, there is an opening for the position Gaia project scientist. The vacancy notice can be found here from the ESA jobs website. Deadline for the application is 6 November. The location for this position would be either ESAC (Madrid, Spain) or ESTEC (Noordwijk, The Netherlands).

Full details regarding the profile can be found from the vacancy notice: https://jobs.esa.int/job/Noordwijk-Project-Scientist/994659001/

 

2023-02-07 Opening for a distributed PostgreSQL-GPU enabler/hacker for Gaia mission

The Gaia Data Processing Centre in Geneva has a central role in the Gaia ecosystem in Switzerland, with a distributed database solution based on fork of PostgreSQL (Postgres-XL, TBase) to store, curate, present and analyse billions of astronomical time-series as part of the ESA Gaia mission

The Gaia mission is one of the most complex astronomy endeavours up to date designed and performed in Europe, but also unique at the global scale. The Gaia space telescop is located 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth in Lagrange Point 2 and is not only special because of its unique multi-instrument data collection capabilities, but also because of the complexity of data processing needs, that are covered by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) consisting of about 500 scientists and IT specialists.

The work conducted in this project will be part of a 3-year project related to the European Processor Initiative run by the AERO consortium funded by the European Commission Horizon 2022 programme and Swiss SEFRI. The project will involve interaction with industry and academic liaisons as well.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the development of the GPU-optimized database query planner and executor of the distributed PostgreSQL fork used for the Gaia mission Variability Studies, as well as integration of TornadoVM Java-GPU enabling framework with Postgres PL/Java extension.

DPCG is looking for a dynamic, curious, quick-learner, with knowledge of PostgreSQL/Postgres-XL/TBase development practices (planner/executor/extensions) or a desire to learn these, as well as understanding or experience with the GPU programming paradigm in the context of data processing. The GPU integration would be carried out using Intel Level-Zero framework. Expected is the knowledge of C language, Postgres internals and any of the above-mentioned technologies.

DPCG offers the opportunity to be an important part of the international team of researchers, computer scientists and industry leaders working on one of the most successful astronomical projects and the bleeding edge technology as well as a relevant salary with possibility of a permanent contract after the initial 3 years.

More info: contact Krzysztof Nienartowicz

 

 

ESA funding sources

Research Fellowships
ESA's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship programme is aimed at providing young scientists and engineers, holding a doctorate or the equivalent, with the means of doing research in space science and space applications. The Fellowships are open to nationals of ESA Member States and Canada (associated member). Fellows are hosted at one of the ESA establishments. All Fellowships in ESA's Science Support Office (SRE-S) at ESTEC belong to this category. More details are available from the Research Fellowship website.
Young Graduate Trainees
ESA's Young Graduate Trainee (YGT) programme offers recently graduated men and women, a one-year non-renewable training contract designed to give valuable work experience and to prepare for future employment in the space industry and/or research. More details are available from the ESA website.
Student placements
ESA's Internship Programme assists young people within its Member States interested in space and related areas. It helps them to meet their university requirements to carry out an internship as part of their degree course, and promotes their academic and professional development by placing them under the guidance of experienced professionals. More details are available from the ESA website.
 

General funding sources

European Commission: The Marie Curie Actions
In the Framework Programme of the Human Resources and Mobility initiative the European Commission provides funding to researchers and research organisations with a view to promoting new skills and participation in multinational research teams. More details on eligability and application procedures are available on the Marie Curie Actions website.
European Researcher's Mobility Portal
This web portal links to a full range of organisations offering training, mobility and career development opportunities for researchers across Europe. A special section is devoted to Fellowships and Grants.