PRV Operations Scientist — Exoplanet Discovery

Digitailor; Hawaii; On-site; USD 95,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4 weeks annual paid vacation

Employer-provided health insurance

403(b) retirement plan with 8% match

Job summary

W. M. Keck Observatory seeks a PRV Operations Scientist to lead high-precision radial velocity observing programs, focusing on the Keck Planet Finder. The role blends telescope operations, instrumentation, data quality, and research collaboration across scientists, engineers, and software developers.

You will ensure operational excellence, data quality, and continuous improvement of PRV capabilities, interacting with instrument teams and users to maximize scientific impact at Keck's facilities.

Qualifications

• PhD in astronomy, physics, or engineering (relevant experience may substitute).
• Experience with high-resolution spectroscopic data, data reduction pipelines, and data processing techniques.
• Expertise in radial velocity measurement, including precise wavelength calibration and Doppler measurements.
• Expertise in astronomical instrumentation, preferably spectroscopic systems.

Responsibilities

• Establish routine PRVI system health checks at full and subsystem levels.
• Develop software algorithms for the PRVI data reduction pipeline to assess data quality.
• Provide continuous monitoring of PRVI system health using automated checks and manual inspections.
• Lead technical and scientific instrument support with PRV instrument scientists and development teams.
• Act as primary conduit between instrument/ observatory and PRVI users for technical issues.

Skills

Task prioritization

MS Office

Presentation to diverse audiences

Programming for data analysis

Python

C/C++

IDL

R

Bash/Shell scripting

Education

PhD in astronomy/physics/engineering

Tools

Python

C/C++

IDL

R

Bash/Shell scripting

Job description

W. M. Keck Observatory seeks a PRV Operations Scientist to lead high-precision radial velocity observing programs, focusing on the Keck Planet Finder. The role blends telescope operations, instrumentation, data quality, and research collaboration across scientists, engineers, and software developers.

You will ensure operational excellence, data quality, and continuous improvement of PRV capabilities, interacting with instrument teams and users to maximize scientific impact at Keck's facilities.