Space Telescope Science Institute

Job Details

Description

Support NASA missions!

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), is NASA’s science operations center for missions including the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. STScI leads observation planning, data analysis, public engagement, and data archiving for flagship missions. Our staff spans astronomy, engineering, education, IT, communications, and administration—working together to bring space science to the world.

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is a multi-mission science and flight operations center for NASA’s flagship observatories. Click here to learn more about our missions The Data Management Division at the STScI is hiring a Senior Astronomical Data Scientist, to help advance our data analysis tools for our NASA flagship missions primarily in areas of data visualization. This position can support hybrid work onsite and at home. Candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to our local market. (MD, DE, VA, PA, DC & WV). This position requires U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residence in order to meet ITAR requirements.

The salary range is $115,000 - $130,000. The posted salary range represents a general guideline; however, STScI considers a number of factors when determining salary offers, such as internal pay equity, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's experience, education, and skill, and current market conditions.

The Role

As a Senior Astronomical Data Scientist your duties will be two-fold. Your primary role will be as a Product Owner of a Scrum team that develops data analysis tools and Jupyter notebooks for the astronomical community. In this role, you will set priorities for the team and work with stakeholders to set product vision, direction and goals. You will actively engage with the astronomy community, gathering feedback to ensure that data analysis tools meet the needs of both the missions and the broader scientific community, while ensuring that development meets goals.

Secondly, you will contribute to software and algorithm development, user support, training, and software engineering process improvement. STScI has been a major contributor to the open-source scientific Python software stack, including NumPy, Matplotlib, SciPy, Jdaviz and Astropy. You will develop analysis tools designed to address complex data visualization challenges and the technical aspects of Jupyter notebooks that can be accessed in a cloud environment.

You will contribute to numerical and scientific programming packages for image processing, spectroscopy, photometry, astrometry, general signal processing, modeling and statistics, or numerical simulations.

Responsibilities include:

• Engage directly with software developers to drive product success
• Translate the science needs and mission requirements into specifications for data analysis tools
• Serve as the main point of contact between stakeholders and the product development team
• Prioritize and maintain the product backlog
• Promote the data analysis tools through community outreach, conferences and meetings
• Design, develop, test and deploy software to assist astronomers in analyzing astronomical data, in close collaboration with STScI’s technical and scientific staff
• You will provide technical and scientific development for Python notebooks that focus on scientific use cases

Qualifications:

• You have worked with astronomical data and understand user needs from a pipeline and data analysis perspective. Experience with HST and JWST data is a plus
• Advanced Python experience in multiprocessing, multithreading, or optimizing performance of Python code for large datasets is a plus
• You are comfortable with writing unit tests and with test-driven development

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Astronomy or Physics or a comparable degree
• An advanced degree in Astronomy, Physics, or a related field is preferred, with 8+ years of experience in an astronomical research role or as an observatory scientist supporting astronomical research
• Education or professional background in astronomy, or software development in a research environment, is helpful

Compensation is commensurate with education and experience.

Our excellent benefits include:

• Employer retirement contribution – direct STScI contribution of 10% of your salary from your first day
• 12 days of sick leave, up to 24 days of vacation, and 10 paid holidays
• Flexible work schedule with work/life balance
• Comprehensive medical/dental/vision/prescription plans, and more!

TO APPLY: Please complete an online application and upload a resume and cover letter by February 25, 2026. Applications received after this date will be considered until the position is filled. Reference0015629

Explore all career opportunities at www.stsci.edu/opportunities

Individuals needing assistance with the employment process can contact us at careers@stsci.edu.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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