Crazy Hot Job

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The Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL, is seeking a software developer to start as soon as possible after January 1, 2010 to develop online interfaces associated with citizen science projects, including Galaxy Zoo. In particular, the appointee will lead the development of a suite of online tools which are designed to allow volunteers to do more than just provide classifications, by taking part in or leading significant research projects. Such serendipitous, user-led discovery has been a huge success in Galaxy Zoo; this position will work with scientists and educators to design and build the necessary tools for citizen science projects in the fields of astrophysics, planetary science and classics. Adler plays a leading role in the Citizen Science Alliance, the consortium of institutions developing Galaxy Zoo and associated projects. A strong web development record is essential. However, as the post involves closely working with the science teams behind the projects, it would also be suitable for a postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics, planetary science or related fields. This position reports to the Director for Citizen Science Initiatives. The post is funded for four years.

Job description:

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, build and test the online interfaces and tools related to the user-based research-enabling toolkit as outlined in the NSF CDI grant proposal, “Conquering the Data Flood;”
• Work as a part of an international team to develop novel online interfaces to allow volunteers to move from basic tasks to more complex tasks;
• Design the web-based user interfaces related to Galaxies, the Moon and Papyrology;
• Work closely with the Online Science Learning Researchers

Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree in a scientific or technical field;
• Ph.D. degree in a scientific, computational or associated field is preferred;
• Two or more years of web development experience;
• Significant experience with at least one modern web framework (Rails, Merb, Django, Catalyst, CakePHP, etc.);
• Good working knowledge of HTML, CSS and Javascript;
• Experience working with relational databases (MySQL, MSSQL, Oracle);
• Two or more years experience of object oriented programming (Ruby, Python, Java, C++, Perl);
• Experience developing web-based user interfaces;
• Database and data programming skills and experience with web frameworks is preferred.

To apply for this position, please email a cover letter, resume and a salary history to:

Marguerite E. Dawson
Director of Human Resources
The Adler Planetarium
Email: ZooSoftwareDev@adlerplanetarium.org
Telephone: 312.322.0591