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Vacuum Lead, LIGO Hanford Observatory

LIGO Laboratory (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) seeks a highly motivated and skilled LHO Vacuum Equipment Group Leader to join its team.  

This position is an in-person role, located in Hanford, Washington.

LIGO Laboratory is a National Science Foundation major facility dedicated to observing the newly discovered gravitational-wave universe. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the LIGO Laboratory operates world-leading observatories near Richland, WA and Baton Rouge, LA as well as R&D centers on the Caltech and MIT campuses. The LIGO Laboratory’s mission spans a broad and vibrant array of activities related to gravitational-wave physics and astronomy, including detector operations, R&D toward detector improvements, gravitational-wave astrophysics, observatory operations, and education and public outreach.

For more information, please visit the Laboratory website: www.ligo.caltech.edu

Job Summary

LIGO comprises two widely separated antennae for astrophysical gravitational wave research. Each detector operates within a 10 million-liter ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) system, the largest in existence. These each include 8 km of 1.2m-diameter beam tube, interconnecting thirteen 3m-diameter vessels that house the detector apparatus. LIGO detectors operate in the 1e-9 Torr pressure range, relying on a combination of cryogenic, turbomolecular, ion and getter pump technologies, combined with stringent material and operating protocols. The observatory sites are supported by science and engineering research facilities at MIT in Cambridge, MA and at Caltech in Pasadena, CA.

As a senior member of the core Hanford Observatory Operations staff, the selectee will supervise and lead the group tasked with optimizing, maintaining and improving the site vacuum system and its supporting infrastructure.

This is an Essential Reporting position. In the event of an emergency on campus, an employee designated as essential reporting has essential job skills that are needed for response and recovery and is expected to report to Campus as soon as possible.

Essential Job Duties

  • Maintain the Observatory vacuum system and support facilities; initiate, plan and execute changes to this system; monitor system performance.
  • Plan and oversee equipment procurement and repairs, including budget development, preparing specifications, competitive procurement, contractor selection, contract monitoring, and quality assurance.
  • Collaborate with research scientists and engineers to optimize UHV performance of in-vacuo scientific apparatus, and to minimize risks of contamination.
  • Collaborate in research into UHV techniques, system design, and potential future vacuum upgrades. Contribute to vacuum R&D for next-generation gravitational wave detectors at the Cosmic Explorer Beamtubed Experiment, a new research facility under construction at LIGO Hanford that will test UHV beam tubes and other components for the upcoming Cosmic Explorer gravitational wave detector.
  • Establish and maintain procedures to ensure that vacuum equipment is monitored, protected and maintained.
  • Serve as a standing member of the LIGO Laboratory’s Vacuum Review Board (with periodic rotations as Chair).
  • Serve as a consulting member on Design Review, Technical Review or other Laboratory committees and panels as may be required.
  • Support and/or manage competitive procurements (i.e. materials and equipment, vendor and/or contractor selection, contract development, acquisition planning, etc.)
  • Initiate or collaborate in writing research papers and technical presentations.
  • Develop and oversee UHV material preparation and test facilities, such as cleaning plants, bake ovens and test chambers, which prepare and qualify scientific components for installation in UHV systems.
  • Collaborate with other discipline leads on scheduling.
  • Serve as a line supervisor for members of the Hanford vacuum group and potentially others who work in related functions.
  • Perform other duties as may be required and assigned.

Basic Qualifications

  • BS in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical or Systems Engineering; Physics; Material Science; or a related scientific or engineering field, or 10 years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
  • 8 or more years of vacuum-related engineering or scientific research work experience.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in operation, analysis, and performance characterization of high- or ultra-high vacuum systems.
  • Knowledge and experience in selection and application of UHV-compatible materials.
  • Hands-on experience in precision leak-hunting.
  • Proficiency in application and interpretation of spectra from residual gas analyzers.
  • Experience in application of helium mass‐spectrometer leak detection (MSLD) apparatus.
  • Demonstrated people-management experience and mentoring skills.
  • Effective English‐language written and verbal communication skills and habits.
  • Level-headed professionalism and excellent interpersonal and team skills.
  • Ability to lift at least 20 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience related to industrial automation as applied to large-scale vacuum systems.
  • Hands-on experience and skill in building, improving and maintaining high- or ultra- high vacuum systems.
  • Experience related to fluid, cryogen, pressure, flow rate, and gas sensors and instrumentation.
  • Experience operating or maintaining large research, university, national laboratory or industrial facilities.
  • Computer-aided design (CAD) proficiency (SolidWorks™ preferred).

Required Documents

  • Cover letter summarizing your interest in LIGO Lab and relevant experience.
  • Resume.

Pease find here full details.

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LIGO Science Education Center Program Leader in Livingston

LIGO Laboratory (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) seeks a highly motivated and skilled LIGO Science Education Center Program Leader to join its education and public outreach team.  

This position is located in Livingston, LA and is an in-person role.

LIGO Laboratory is a National Science Foundation major facility dedicated to observing the newly discovered gravitational-wave universe. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the LIGO Laboratory operates world-leading observatories near Richland, WA and Baton Rouge, LA as well as R&D centers on the Caltech and MIT campuses. The LIGO Laboratory’s mission spans a broad and vibrant array of activities related to gravitational-wave physics and astronomy, including detector operations, R&D toward detector improvements, gravitational-wave astrophysics, observatory operations, and education and public outreach.

The LIGO Science Education Center (LIGO SEC) is collocated with the LIGO observatory in Livingston, Louisiana. We use an exhibit hall, classroom, and other facilities to provide visiting students, teachers, and members of the public a hybrid program that includes exhibit-based free exploration and science-standards-based facilitated sessions, together with interactions with the staff at an active leading-edge observatory.

We use a multi-pronged approach to serve regional K–12 education, consisting of formal teacher professional development in the physical sciences, primarily during the summer; informal field trips for students of those teachers; and undergraduate docents trained in outreach methods who informally interact with the students and teachers during the academic year.

Our informal-science educators communicate the science of gravitational waves utilizing standard K-12 physical science concepts, as part of our mission to inspire a sense of wonder, to engage curiosity and to encourage the future STEM workforce. In order to accomplish our objectives, we partner with a variety of institutions including San Francisco’s Exploratorium and Southern University.

For more information, please visit the Laboratory website at www.ligo.caltech.edu/LA

Essential Job Duties

Reporting to the observatory head, the LIGO Science Education Center program leader actively leads LIGO Livingston’s education and public outreach team to fulfill the center’s mission to inspire a sense of wonder, engage curiosity and encourage the future Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) workforce.

Duties of this position:

  • Lead and supervise the LIGO SEC staff, normally two additional full-time Caltech educators
  • Develop, plan, lead and execute LIGO SEC programs, including K–12 field trips, teacher professional development, and public events.
  • Manage, develop and seek to improve the Science Education Center’s exhibits and other educational offerings.
  • Represent LIGO Livingston with existing program partners and allied organizations. Manage existing partnership activities and cultivate new ones.
  • Represent LIGO Livingston in national and international collaborations, such as the LIGO Scientific Collaboration’s EPO working group.
  • Lead LIGO Livingston’s aspect of the LIGO Laboratory’s strategic planning of and execution of joint EPO programs.
  • Manage LIGO Livingston’s role in an existing NSF-funded SEC partnership collaborative grant, including budget and staff planning, record-keeping, coordination with sub-awardees, and communication with the funding agency.
  • Contribute to the LIGO Laboratory’s reporting and communications with the NSF about its main cooperative agreement.
  • Coordinate and oversee interactions with external media at LLO.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s or advanced degree in a scientific or engineering field, or in education. Six years of equivalent professional experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.
  • 8 or more years of experience working as a formal or informal science educator, program leader, or evaluator, including experience gained as part of a relevant degree program.
  • Knowledge of informal science education principles and practice.
  • Knowledge of, and experience implementing, the Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for K–12 education.
  • Knowledge and experience in the evaluation of program efficacy, quantitatively, qualitatively, or using mixed methods.
  • Experience managing science education staff involved in either formal or informal programs.

Preferred Qualifications

Candidates with one or more of the following preferred qualifications are particularly encouraged to apply:

  • Masters or Doctorate in a STEM field or education.
  • Experience in community partnership or collaboration building.
  • Experience teaching, mentoring or leading groups of young people, including the K–12 range.
  • Experience working in a museum setting, especially one specializing in STEM topics.
  • Experience working in a university or other large research laboratory setting.
  • Research experience or coursework in physics, optics or astronomy.
  • Experience obtaining and administrating federal, state or private grants.
  • Hands-on experience designing, building, and maintaining physical-science exhibits; or hands-on experience with science or engineering instruments generally.
  • Extensive understanding or experience using both informal and formal science education methods.
  • Experience working with educational communities similar to those in south Louisiana where LIGO Livingston operates its observatory.

Required Documents

  • Cover letter summarizing your relevant experience and expressing clearly your specific interest in working at LIGO Livingston Observatory.
  • Resume

Please find here full details.

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ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme Madrid, Noordwijk

To increase the scientific return from its space science missions, ESA welcomes applications from scientists interested in pursuing research based on publicly available data in the ESA Space Science Archives. The Archives host data from all current and past ESA space science missions in astronomy, planetary science, and heliophysics.

The ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme is open to scientists at all career levels who are affiliated with institutes in ESA Member States and Cooperating States (note that all visits must comply with the ESA Security Directives, which may necessitate additional checks). Early-career scientists are particularly encouraged to apply, including PhD students (see below). We encourage applications from women and minorities. The peer-review evaluation process is anonymised to ensure equal opportunities for all applicants.

Residence lasts typically between one and three months, also distributed over multiple visits, depending on the complexity of the research project. The research projects can be carried out at ESAC (Madrid, Spain) and at ESTEC (Noordwijk, Netherlands). To offset the expenses incurred by visitors, ESA covers travel costs from and to the home institution and provides support for lodging expenses and meals.

During their stay, visiting scientists have the opportunity to interact with archive and mission specialists for questions on the retrieval, calibration, and analysis of archival data. In principle, all areas of space research covered by ESA science missions can be supported (the data must be publicly available in the archives). To ensure that technical expertise in the specific area of interest is available at ESAC or ESTEC, applicants should consult the table of expertise and contact the relevant scientists in their field of interest (this is very important). In case of doubts, write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int.

The next deadline for applications is Wednesday 30 April 2026, 23:59 UTC

Call for applications

Applications can be submitted at any time by sending email to arvp@cosmos.esa.int. The email should contain a single PDF document of at most three pages detailing:

  • description of the goals of the research project
  • public archival data on which help is sought
  • which type of expertise you expect to gain
  • proposed time and duration of the visit
  • expected publications
  • contact information

Please keep it short (max 2 pages for the text of the proposal, max 1 page for figures, references, and contact information) and follow the simple template provided here. Note that this is just a template, you can use the font type and size that you prefer (not smaller than 10), but please do not exceed two pages for the text and one page for figures, references, and contact information. You must indicate in which year you obtained (or will obtain) your PhD.

To prevent unconscious biases, your name, email address, and other contact information (on the third page) will not be visible to reviewers. To help in the process, you must write your application in an “anonymous” way, i.e. do not identify yourself in the text. For instance, do not mention the name of your institute or collaborators in the scientific description of the project (page 1 and 2) and when you are referring to one of your papers, do not write “I have shown that … (Author Name, 2023, Journal, 954, 125)”, but rather write “It has been shown that … (Author Name, 2023, Journal, 954, 125)”. If you identify yourself, the application will not be considered.

We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about the data that could support your research project. You will find the names of our experts in the various science areas in the table of expertise below. Or write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp@cosmos.esa.int.

Students

We welcome proposals by graduate students. The proposals can be submitted by the students themselves or in collaboration with their supervisors. If you are a student and would like to visit ESA to learn more about doing science with archival data, make sure that you coordinate and agree your research project with your supervisor. Mention this in the application, but omit the name of the supervisor, otherwise the application is not anonymous.

Deadlines

Applications can be submitted at any time and are reviewed twice a year, with deadlines usually on 30 April and 31 October. The results of the review will be communicated to applicants within about two months of the deadlines. Applicants are encouraged to contact the ESA scientists or the programme coordinators well ahead of the deadlines in order to discuss their research plans.

Applications received by 30 April 2026 (23:59 UTC) will be considered for visits in autumn and winter 2026/2027.

Please find here full details.

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Deputy System Engineer – Scientific Instrumentation for Space Missions at AEI Hannover

The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) is a world-leading center specializing in gravitational physics, gravitational-wave research, and precision laser interferometry. The institute has more than 400 employees across its Potsdam and Hannover locations. For our Hannover site, we are seeking a:

Deputy System Engineer – Scientific Instrumentation for Space Missions at AEI Hannover

The position is embedded in the “Laser Interferometry in Space” group, which has contributed significantly to missions such as LISA Pathfinder and GRACE-FO and is currently playing a leading role in ESA’s LISA mission. You will join a multidisciplinary and international team working at the forefront of spaceborne gravitational-wave detection.

Your Duties and Responsibilities

  • Support the LISA System Engineer in system engineering activities and progressively assume deputy responsibilities.
  • Coordinate system-level decisions and participate in internal and external technical meetings.
  • Contribute to system design, verification tasks, and technical documentation preparation.
  • Maintain accurate configuration control and documentation.
  • Plan and support Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) activities.
  • Prepare requirements and procedures for safe hardware handling, shipment, and verification.
  • Operate and verify Ground Support Equipment and test facilities during subsystem and system testing.
  • Participate in verification campaigns at AEI and partner sites.
  • Support Product Assurance (PA) activities, including non-conformance tracking and inspections.
  • Contribute to design reviews, test readiness reviews, and acceptance reviews.
  • Support procurement processes and prepare technical specifications.
  • Collaborate closely with industrial partners, space agencies, and internal project teams.

Your Profile

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in engineering, physics, or a related field.
  • Experience in system engineering, testing, verification, or product assurance.
  • Familiarity with ECSS workflows, test automation, or electronics verification.
  • Hands-on experience with laboratory or test equipment is an advantage.
  • Strong communication skills in English (level C1 minimum); German is an asset but not required.
  • Organisational talent and the ability to manage multiple parallel tasks.
  • Structured and careful working style with strong documentation practices.

We Offer

  • An international, collaborative research environment.
  • Work at the forefront of spaceborne gravitational-wave detection.
  • Regular interaction with ESA, DLR, laboratories, and industrial partners.
  • Access to state-of-the-art laboratories and infrastructure.
  • Competitive salary according to the German TVöD Bund guidelines.
  • Initial 2-year contract with the possibility of extension.

How to Apply
Are you interested? Then we look forward to receiving your online application (cover letter, CV, university certificates, letter of recommendation and other supporting documents) without a photo. Please upload your complete application documents combined into a single PDF on our applicant portal:
https://jobs.aei.mpg.de/245/deputy-system-engineer-scientific-instrumentation-for-space-missions/apply

Questions can be directed to the LISA Program Office (lisa-program-office(at)aei.mpg.de).

The applications received will be considered from January 15th, 2026. The advertisement is valid until the position is filled.

Further information
The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability. The Max-Planck-Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. For more information about our institute, please visit https://www.aei.mpg.de/.

Pease find here details.

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Test Engineer at AEI Hannover

The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute, AEI) is a world-leading research center specializing in gravitational physics, gravitational-wave detection, and precision laser interferometry. With more than 400 employees across its Hannover and Potsdam locations, AEI plays a key role in several major international space missions. For our Hannover location, we are seeking a motivated:

Test Engineer

to support the verification of the LISA Signal Detection Processing Chain, the LISA Phasemeter and the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) used for testing. The LISA mission is a flagship ESA/NASA project designed to detect gravitational waves from space, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to one of the world’s most ambitious scientific endeavors.

Your Duties and Responsibilities
Execute functional and performance tests of the equipment under test according to ECSS standards.

  • Set up, operate, and validate test benches, measurement equipment, and GSE.
  • Maintain, calibrate, and verify AEI’s GSE and testing infrastructure.
  • Analyze test results, document findings, and support troubleshooting.
  • Prepare test procedures, verification documents, and test reports.
  • Collaborate with system engineering, electronics, software teams, and external partners.
  • Support integration and verification campaigns at AEI and partner facilities.
  • Ensure compliance with quality and product assurance procedures.

Your Profile

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in electrical engineering, physics, systems engineering, or a related technical field.
  • Excellent English skills (C1 level minimum); German is an asset but not required.
  • Hands-on experience with laboratory equipment and measurement systems.
  • Structured, detail-oriented working style and strong analytical skills.
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a technical team.
  • Experience with data analysis tools (e.g., Python, MATLAB) is an advantage.
  • Familiarity with precision measurement systems or ECSS standards is beneficial but not required.
  • Motivation to contribute to a major international space mission.

We Offer

  • The opportunity to work on a globally leading space science project.
  • A dynamic, international research environment with highly skilled teams.
  • Hands-on experience with cutting-edge instrumentation and test facilities.
  • Professional development opportunities and room to grow into broader responsibilities.
  • Flexible and supportive working conditions within the Max Planck Society.

How to Apply
Are you interested? Then we look forward to receiving your online application (cover letter, CV, university certificates, letter of recommendation and other supporting documents) without a photo. Please upload your complete application documents combined into a single PDF on our applicant portal:https://jobs.aei.mpg.de/244/test-engineer/apply

Questions can be directed to the LISA Program Office (lisa-program-office(at)aei.mpg.de). 

The applications received will be considered from January 15th, 2026. The advertisement is valid until the position is filled.

Further information
The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability. The Max-Planck-Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. For more information about our institute, please visit https://www.aei.mpg.de/.

Please find here details.