Scientific support of the "Open Data in Astronomy" project at the Strasbourg Astronomical Data Centre (CDS).

Postdoctoral position (2 yrs) to work within the CDS team on a major renewal of the CDS VizieR Associated Data service.

The successful applicant will work within the CDS team on a major renewal of the CDS VizieR Associated Data service. The activites include:

- Development and implementation of metadata extraction methods from associated data (in FITS format) using various tools and programming languages.
- Documentation of the workflow and tools developed, and establishment of knowledge bases.
- Interaction with technical and scientific personnel at CDS to understand and address the needs and requirements of end users and the CDS workflow.
- Maintaining a library of instrument and telescope properties to serve as a reference in the metadata extraction process.
- Participation in test series and regression testing to assess the effectiveness of the developed methods.
- Participation in weekly meetings of the VizieR service on data quality and ingestion.

Context:

The CDS (https://cds.unistra.fr/en/) is hosted by the Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory. The CDS is dedicated to the collection and distribution of astronomical data and information, as well as the development of innovative techniques for scientific exploitation of large datasets. The CDS hosts the SIMBAD reference database; the VizieR service for astronomical catalogues and tables published in academic journals; the interactive sky atlas Aladin; and a fast catalogue cross-matching service. The CDS contributes to the development of the Virtual Observatory framework for data sharing in astronomy following the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). The CDS "Open Data in Astronomy" (CDS-ODAS) project has been funded by the French National Fund for Open Science to implement a renewal of the CDS VizieR Associated Data service. The work involves interaction with the engineers and data stewards of the CDS VizieR service. The position includes opportunities for collaboration with members of the CDS science team. Scientific topics covered by the team include stellar astrophysics (AGB stars, YSOs, stellar X-ray emission), interstellar medium, dust emission in nearby galaxies, galaxy dynamics, interactions of galaxies in clusters, shocks and photoionisation in AGN and interacting galaxies, galaxy formation and numerical simulations of reionization.

Competences:

- PhD in astronomy or physics.
- Practical experience in the analysis and interpretation of observational astronomical data.
- Proficiency in scientific programming, particularly with Python.
- Good understanding of issues related to scientific data management, including reuse and reproducibility.
- Ability to work in a team and communicate effectively with colleagues from diverse backgrounds.