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The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) studies astronomical objects incredibly far off in the universe. It doesn’t use the optical telescopes the lay person might think of in connection with astronomy. Instead, NRAO folks design, build and operate collecting radio telescopes of various sizes to capture radiation emitted at radio wavelengths and send it on to sensitive receiver instruments and supercomputer correlators.
NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by scientists around the world in its two operating facilities in New Mexico and West Virginia. It is also involved in cutting-edge astronomical research, and in the design, development and manufacture of radio telescope instrumentation and correlators at its Charlottesville, VA location.
While the majority of professional astronomers in the U.S. are affiliated with universities, about a third are directly employed by the federal government and by federally supported national labs and observatories like NRAO. Now, NRAO is adding staff at its three U.S-based and one international observatory.
James Firmani of NRAO HR explains that he’s interested in candidates with degrees in engineering, CS and/or math as well as astronomy and physics who have a strong interest in radio astronomy. “NRAO and its four locations offer great opportunities for candidates with flexibility, a desire to work on cutting-edge science and a sense of adventure,” he says.
In 2003 NRAO began work on the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) on sixty-eight square miles in the Atacama Desert in Chile. “Now we’re beginning to move engineers and astronomers to Chile for the operational phase of ALMA,” Firmani says.
ALMA’s target date is 2008, with total completion by 2012. This is a joint project of North America, Europe and Japan to build and operate the world’s largest, most powerful telescope operating at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths.
NRAO has projected an increase in staff to support its observatories. “We’re planning to boost our head count. We’ll need more astronomers and engineers to support our antennas for the new ALMA as well as upgrading and staffing current observatories.
“We are not an organization that just runs telescopes,” Firmani explains. NRAO operates “at the forefront of radio astronomy,” and needs engineers and IT folks to improve and upgrade the capabilities of its telescopes.
“Supercomputers have allowed astronomers to simulate processes that were formerly nearly impossible to study,” Firmani adds. “That’s why CS is another discipline of interest.”
NRAO has completed a formal plan to strengthen its ongoing commitment to diversity. “We want to ensure an inclusive multicultural and gender-diverse environment. The three elements of our plan will be leadership, employment and retention,” says Firmani.
NRAO’s diversity recruitment is already under way. “We have a Web presence, we are building contacts with educational institutions with diversity appeal and we’ve reached out to minority associations.
“Our goal is to attract a diverse group of candidates to provide a basic support network.”
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National Radio Astronomy Observatory
www.nrao.edu
| Headquarters: |
Charlottesville, VA
(U Virginia Campus) |
| Employees: |
617 |
| Budget: |
$155 million |
| Mission: |
designs, builds and operates advanced
radio telescopes |
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