About this job

EGO is looking to appoint a physicist to work within the REINFORCE project. REINFORCE aims to minimise the knowledge gap between large research infrastructures and society through citizen science. It aims to engage and support citizens to cooperate with researchers and actively contribute in the development of new knowledge for the needs of science and society. An international collaboration, REINFORCE leverages the world-leading Zooniverse citizen-science platform to bring citizen scientists directly into the production of scientific knowledge. The project is dedicated to the inclusion of diverse groups of citizen scientists and aims to make its data, software and workflows as accessible as possible.

Type of contract

One-year (renewable for one year) contract, as Tecnologo (Technologist), according to the “Contratto Collettivo di Lavoro del Personale EGO” (EGO personnel collective bargaining agreement).

Start of contract

The earliest possible after October, 1st 2020.

Responsibilities

• working with international experts on the development of tools for use in data sonification and the analysis of sonified data;
• developing tools for the characterisation of interferometric “glitches” that come either from the Virgo environment or gravitational-wave sources and their insertion into the Zooniverse platform, and/or sonification frameworks;
• developing a platform to support cross-reflection between artists and scientists in the field of fundamental science and, in particular, gravitational-wave science;
• contributing, as part of the EGO REINFORCE team, to both the day-to-day running and the long-term strategic goals of the project;
• working alongside other EGO and Virgo teams, as well as with members of the LIGO and KAGRA Collaborations.

Profile

The post requires flexibility, thoroughness and excellent organisational and communication skills. The ability to think creatively is definitely an asset.

Essential required qualifications and experience

• Physicist with a minimum 5-year academic title (Master’s degree or equivalent);
• genuine scientific curiosity to pursue the understanding of the unknown and unexpected;
• capacity to collaborate efficiently with colleagues from different countries and a good sense of team spirit;
• knowledge of working principles and usage of programming languages;
• good knowledge of English.

Desired qualifications and experience

One or more of the following will be an asset:

• experience with Python language;
• experience with sonification software;
• experience with Zooniverse;
• working knowledge of Italian and/or French.

General requirements

• No criminal convictions
• Driving license