Please find our joint appointments and professorships on our website: Joint appointments / Professorships
Apply now
Planetary Scientist (f/m/x) - MERTIS data analysis and performance monitoring
Job Description
Req ID:  4228
Place of work:  Berlin
Starting date:  ab sofort
Career level:  Graduates, Experienced professionals, Doctorate
Type of employment:  Part time, Full-time
Duration of contract:  2 Jahre

Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector - Federal Government (TVöD-Bund)

Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.; DLR) and help shape the future through research and innovation! We offer an exciting and inspiring working environment driven by the expertise and curiosity of our 12,000 employees from 100 nations and our unique infrastructure. Together, we develop sustainable technologies and thus contribute to finding solutions to global challenges. Would you like to join us in addressing this major future challenge? Then this is your place!

The DLR Institute of Space Research is a world-leading centre of excellence for optical sensor systems and their use in planetary research, Earth observation and security. In this way, we are expanding humanity's understanding of the formation and development of our planetary system and finding solutions to protect life on Earth and are partners for universities, research institutions, industry, authorities and political decision-makers and work closely with them.. With approximately 300 employees, we cover the entire development chain from the research idea to the design, construction and verification of instruments, their operational use, and the processing, scientific evaluation and archiving of the data obtained.

 

What to expect

The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission is exploring the planet Mercury with the MERTIS instrument built by DLR. BepiColombo is currently in the cruise phase, and scientific data collection on Mercury is expected to begin in early 2027. One of MERTIS's objectives is to map the global mineralogy of Mercury's surface. This Post-doc position has been created to strengthen the link between instrumental expertise and scientific data analyses. As part of the activities of the MERTIS operations team, the performance of the instrument is monitored, evaluated and continuously optimised. Work is also being done on the further development and validation of the data processing pipeline to ensure high-quality scientific products. The MERTIS data is analysed to enable new insights into the surface and thermal properties of Mercury. 

 

Your tasks

  • data analysis and performance monitoring of MERTIS instrument in the science phase of the mission
  • Participation in the delivery of validated data to scientific archives and monitoring of the data processing pipeline
  • Contribute to the generation of regional and global maps of surface composition, linking spectral products to geological units and processes
  • presentation of the scientific results in the MERTIS and BepiColombo Science Team
  • publications (peer-reviewed) and presentations at scientific conferences
  • supervising master studnets and public outreach

 

Your profile

  • completed scientific university degree (Master/Diploma Uni) in the field of physics, planetary science, astronomy, geosciences or closely related discipline supplemented by a doctorate
  • experience in the data analysis of high-resolution multispectral images
  • knowledge in handling planetary data formats (image data, spectral datasets, elevation models, ...)
  • knowledge of the Linux system and programming skills in various programming languages (e.g. Python)
  • publications as first author in scientific journals
  • excellent knowledge of English (written and spoken)

We offer

DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.

We look forward to getting to know you!

 

If you have any questions about this position (Vacancy-ID 4228) please contact:

 

Dr. Alessandro Maturilli 
Tel.: +49 30 67055 313 
Apply now