We welcome applications for an open position at the Institute of Space Sciences in Barcelona (ICE), which is part of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Catalan Institute for Space Studies (IEEC). In this role, the machine learning engineer will be:

- Working with a diverse team of astronomers, astrophysicists and research engineers on scientific software related to the detection of neutron stars in observational data as well as parameter estimation for pulsar population synthesis.
- Improving existing and developing new pipelines for image analysis, classification and regression tasks using machine learning frameworks.
- Interfacing with Port d'Informació Científica (PIC) that provides HPC resources and support.

He/she is requested to have experience in:

- Python and related libraries (e.g. Matplotlib, NumPy, Numba), and version control (Git).
- PyTorch (or a similar framework like TensorFlow) and machine learning for classification, regression and image understanding.
- The following would be a plus: experience with Linux system administration and MacOS as well as a general interest in astronomy.

The successful candidate will be hired on a full-time contract from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and funded by a European H2020 ERC Consolidator grant (MAGNESIA ERC Project, PI: Rea). The position is for 2 years, with possible extensions. There will be a (relaxed) evaluation of performance every year, and a report (a couple of pages maximum) to be submitted to the European Commission. Salary and benefits will be in accordance with the Spanish labor laws, and will depend on past experience. This position further allows 1 month vacation per year, usually taken in August. Working hours are flexible as typical for our discipline, and we encourage performance-driven work, rather than a filling-hours approach. The funding grant will also provide a laptop, accessories or justified materials, which can be chosen and customized. Starting date would be November/December 2021 but can be discussed with the potential candidates. Given the current situation, working conditions will be flexible if required.

Group activities will be in English (as are all the institute's activities) and there is a weekly group meeting that the successful candidate is expected to attend (remotely if needed). One crucial strength of our group is the generally relaxed and supportive atmosphere between all its members, and we are looking forward to having a new team member join in this spirit. More information about the group here:  <https://www.ice.csic.es/erc-magnesia/>

About the institution:

Currently, the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE) counts over 20 faculty members, about 20 engineers, about 20 post-doc fellows and a dozen of PhD students. The areas of research vary from engineering applied to several space missions to fundamental physics, from high-energy astronomy to theoretical astrophysics. ICE is part of the "Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas" (CSIC, the Spanish National Research Council). CSIC is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. ICE is also part of the Catalan Institute of Space Studies (IEEC, Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya). Our institute is committed to building a culturally diverse community of researchers, dedicated to contributing to an inclusive environment. ICE is located in a modern building on the Campus of the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona in Bellaterra, just outside Barcelona. The campus is well served by public transportation (railways and buses), and a variety of temporary and long-term accommodation options can be found both in Barcelona city center and in the smaller towns close to the campus.

To apply please send your CV to:

Nanda Rea <rea@ice.csic.es>
Vanessa Graber <graber@ice.csic.es>