Two Calibration Scientists (m/f/d)

The Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg is one of the leading astronomical research institutions with about 350 employees from all over the world. The institute is developing instruments for large ground- and space-based observatories. As part of the construction and commissioning of the calibration system for MICADO—the “First Light” camera (the initial scientific operational phase) for the ELT we are advertising two exciting fixed-term postdoctoral positions in the field of instrumentation research: Calibration data scientist (m/f/d) and Calibration instrument scientist (m/f/d), both Ref. 418.

Your tasks

The positions are related to the MCA and its functional role to guarantee the scientific performance of MICADO from day one until the end of operation.

Position responsibilities

Calibration data scientist shall concentrate on the data analysis and contribute to the definition and execution of the calibration plan of the instrument.

Calibration instrument scientist will lead the hardware related work, testing the as-built performance, proposing design changes when needed to meet the requirements, and leading the system integration phase of the MCA in the overall MICADO system.

Both positions are at the interface between instrumentation and scientific application, one emphasizing hardware and the other software work. The positions will allow the successful candidates to build or continue a career in astronomical instrumentation and will involve regular travel and active roles in the international MICADO consortium and the MPIA community.

Specific duties

Will depend on the particular experience and strengths of the candidate. The ideal instrument scientist will lead the verification of the MCA subsystem hardware, set up functional tests of the final hardware (lamps, stages, hexapod, fibres, etc.). The ideal calibration data scientist will explore raw data quality, verify data reduction steps, interact with the data pipeline development team, and contribute to developing data quality assessment. Duties will benefit from experience with astronomical mission calibration plans, systematic data analysis of large amounts of calibration data, and instrument documentation to ESO standards. Goal is the testing of available MCA hardware and its integration into the overall MICADO instrument to prepare for the preliminary acceptance Europe (PAE) testing at the ESO headquarters in Garching towards the end of the hire.

Your profile

• PhD in astrophysics, physics, or engineering.
• Practical expertise in building optical astronomical instruments; knowledge of optics, optical design (preferably Zemax) and measurement techniques.
• Proficiency in a scripting language (preferably Python) for data analysis.
• Experience with astronomical data calibration in near-infrared wavelengths is a plus.
• Interest in applying new strategies to data reduction and quality control, and in interacting with data reduction pipeline development team.

Our offer

The appointment remuneration follows German public employment standards and depends on qualifications and professional experience. Social benefits are granted in accordance with the regulations of the civil service. Funds for publications, travel and computer equipment will be provided. Successful applicants can start as early as Oct. 1st, 2026. We offer very challenging tasks in an international scientific environment.

Equal opportunity

The Max Planck Society aims to increase the proportion of women in areas in which they are underrepresented and expressly encourages women to apply. The society promotes professional equality between women and men and offers family-friendly working hours and support for childcare facilities. The society also encourages employment of people with severe disabilities; applications from people with severe disabilities are expressly welcome. For questions about severe disabilities, please contact sbv@mpia.de. For questions about equal opportunities, please contact the equal opportunities officer at equality@mpia.de.