Palmer Research Associate – Alternate

Role Overview

• Maintains, trouble shoots, and repairs a variety of equipment used in the long-term monitoring of physical phenomena including (but not limited to) UV spectroradiometers, GPS receivers, VLF radio receivers, neutron and radio-nuclide detectors, seismometers, magnetometers, photometers, interferometers, air sampling units, and other instruments.
• Collects, archives, and transmits data and status reports to project researchers.
• Collects and prepares samples for shipment, maintains inventory of flasks and works with logistics department to ensure adequate flask inventory for the next season.
• Regularly employs ingenuity and creativity to develop new technical solutions and systems in order to achieve functional objectives.
• Uses digital and analog electronic equipment to diagnose and repair instruments and computer hardware failures.
• Supports Grantees by ensuring timely problem resolution, minimizing data collection interruptions, and notifying grantees of outages, issues, and maintenance schedules.
• Maintains appropriate project logbooks, documents and email records.
• Updates standard operating procedures.
• Administers, operates, and maintains computer-based data acquisition systems.
• Coordinates with the IT department on computer configurations and networking topology issues such as firewall access and IP addresses.
• Receives and inventories capital equipment, instruments, materials, and supplies.
• Maintains accurate inventory of spare parts for equipment and instruments, and prepares resupply lists.
• Assists with life-cycle management and informs grantees or staff on replacement timelines.
• Occasionally conducts briefings on research and tours of facilities for distinguished visitors.
• Performs other duties as required.
• SITE-SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PALMER STATION:
• Calibrates and repairs meteorological, thermosalinograph, and tide gauge instrumentation.
• Collects and distributes encoded synoptic weather reports in conformance with WMO standards.
• Operates and maintains a weather satellite tracking antenna.
• Knowledge of low-earth-orbit (LEO) and polar orbit satellite systems, and multi-spectral image processing.
• Demonstrates understanding of visible, infrared, and microwave imagery products.
• Provides real-time imagery, remote-sensing support, and other data as needed for logistical and operational concerns as requested by research vessel or operations personnel.
• Maintains, operates, and repairs meterological equipment and weather towers, including programming MATLAB, python, Access, SQL and powershell scripts to integrate data with network.
• Manual labor as needed including excavating buried experiments and station maintenance.
• Community duties which will include washing dishes and cleaning common areas.
• Participation on an Emergency Response Team (ERT) is highly required. Examples are the Fire Brigade, Trauma Team and Search and Rescue.

Requirements

• Requires deep understanding of and ability to apply principles, theories, and concepts of technical domain and has broad understanding of other related specialty areas.
• Typically requires BS and 4 – 8 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 2 – 6 years of prior relevant experience.
• Experience accepted in lieu of education.
• Must be able to work independently to achieve day-to-day objectives with significant impact on operational results or project deliverables.
• Good organizational and time management skills.
• Fluency with networking topics and file transfer tools required.
• Administrator familiarity for Macintosh and Linux/Unix platforms required.
• Must be a US Citizen or green card holder.

Tech Stack

• Flask
• Linux
• Python
• SQL
• Unix

Benefits

• Health and Wellness programs
• Income Protection
• Paid Leave
• Retirement