Gaia Variable Stars ML Research Assistant (Part-Time)

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill; Elkins Hills (NC); On-site; USD 30,000 - 42,000; Part time

Job summary

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks a part-time Research Assistant to support the Gaia in Technicolor project. You will apply machine learning and functional data analysis to classify millions of variable stars from Gaia DR3 photometry under the guidance of Dr. Barlow and Dr.

Zikry. The appointment is 30 hours per week with a start date of 2027-01-04 and a duration of 1 to 6 months.

Qualifications

• Experience with Gaia DR3 multi-epoch photometry or HR diagram analysis.
• Background in functional data analysis or smoothing/clustering methods.
• Experience with high-performance computing (e.g., UNC Longleaf) or GPU clouds.
• Familiarity with time-domain survey data and variable star astrophysics.
• Ability to develop interactive web-based data visualizations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary day-to-day researcher on the Gaia project under supervision.
• Assist in discovery, characterization, and dissemination of results.
• Coordinate with project PIs and meet bi-weekly to review progress.

Skills

Gaia DR3 photometry

Functional data analysis

High-performance computing

Time-domain astronomy

Data visualization tools

Job description

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks a part-time Research Assistant to support the Gaia in Technicolor project. You will apply machine learning and functional data analysis to classify millions of variable stars from Gaia DR3 photometry under the guidance of Dr. Barlow and Dr.

Zikry. The appointment is 30 hours per week with a start date of 2027-01-04 and a duration of 1 to 6 months.