Research Fellow - Department of Physics | Te Kura Mātai Ahupūngao – fixed term - 26 months
Core
Lead operational research programme at a free-space optical communications ground station, operating telescope and receiver systems to acquire and track satellites for laser-based communications.
Role type
Senior IC research fellow (optical ground station operations)
Builds
Satellite optical downlink campaigns and coordinated multi-site network demonstrations
Domain
Physics, optical communications, satellite systems
Deliverable
physical/clinical work
Required skills
operating complex scientific instrumentation, planning time-critical field campaigns, analyzing quantitative experimental data, diagnosing hardware/instrumentation/control system problems, scientific data analysis (Python/MATLAB), coordinating distributed research teams
Preferred skills
operating astronomical telescopes or robotic observatories, satellite tracking, free-space optical/laser communications, communications metrics (SNR, throughput, BER), telescope pointing/calibration, satellite orbit prediction, Linux-based scientific systems, laser safety
Responsibilities
Operating telescope and receiver instrumentation, maintaining operational readiness via calibration and testing, planning and conducting satellite-pass campaigns, coordinating experiments with other ground-station nodes, analyzing link performance metrics, producing technical reports and publications, training students and operators
Seniority
Senior, hands-on IC
