2026-02-03 12:30

Ref0140 / Deadline: March 20th, 2026 (23:59 CET)

Abierto / Open

Offer description

The Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA) invites applications for a Research Software Engineer (RSE) position on astronomical data reduction to start as soon as possible. The position, will be for a duration of 6 months; within the framework of the "Knowledge Generation Projects 2024" project PID2024-162229NB-I00 titled "STREAMDECODE : Decoding the stellar streams in the halos of nearby galaxies", funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/EU).

ARRAKIHS (Analysis of Resolved Remnants of Accreted galaxies as a Key Instrument for Halo Surveys) is the next European Space Agency (ESA) F-class mission (F is for "fast"). It is the first ESA mission to be lead by Spain and is planned for launch around 2030. ARRAKIHS will observe ~100 Milky Way-like galaxies in the optical and infrared, with the objective of unveiling the nature of dark matter and to deepen our knowledge of galaxy formation processes through deep observations.

CEFCA is a core institution of the ARRAKIHS consortium. A replica of ARRAKIHS is installed at OAJ to help in planning the ARRAKIHS hardware calibration, pipeline and science. CEFCA is leading several key aspects of ARRAKIHS: ground-based replica assembly and operations, the data reduction work package (RED) of the Instrument Operations and Science Data Center (IOSDC). As the ARRAKIHS reduction RSE, the successful applicant will become a member of the ARRAKIHS consortium, actively participating in developing of custom components within the ARRAKIHS Harvester (data reduction pipeline).

The successful applicant will be in charge of developing specific low-level components of the ARRAKIHS Harvester and will work with Dr. Mohammad Akhlaghi (lead of RED and PI of this grant) within CEFCA’s Data Processing and Archiving Department (DPAD). The particular features that should be developed with the Harvester as part of this position are:

• Extended PSF estimation and subtraction.
• Segmentation over complex structures.
• Internal reflection (optical ghost) identification and removal.

The low-level analysis of the Harvester is done with GNU Astronomy Utilities (Gnuastro, an official GNU package; written in C) and its high-level workflow is designed in Maneage (written in Shell/Makefile). Therefore experience in Gnuastro, Maneage, C programming, Bash scripting, Makefiles and Git version control are critical for this position. The successful applicant should clearly state the usage of LLMs in any commit message. In such cases, the committer is responsible for all the changes and should be able to justify any decision in their delivered work.

CEFCA in a nutshell

CEFCA is a research institution located in Teruel (Spain). CEFCA is in charge of the operation, data management and scientific exploitation of the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (OAJ). The OAJ is an astronomical facility specifically suited for carrying out large astronomical surveys with very large field-of-view telescopes: the 2.5m Javalambre Survey Telescope (JST250) and the 83cm Javalambre Auxiliary Survey Telescope.

JST250 is equipped with JPCam, a ~1.2Mpix panoramic camera consisting of a mosaic of 14 CCDs of ~9.2k x 9.2kpix. The JPCam/JST250 system provides a 3.4 deg² FoV and hosts a complete new set of 54 filters of ~140A width, covering the whole optical spectral range plus two broader filters at the blue and red ends. In the coming years, JPCam/JST250 will be primarily devoted to carry out the Javalambre Physics of the accelerating Universe Astrophysical Survey (J-PAS), which is producing photo-spectra of hundreds of millions of astronomical objects with wide-ranging applications in astrophysics and cosmology. The first Early Data Release (J-PAS EDR) was released in November 2024 with 12deg² in all the filters.

JAST80 is equipped with the panoramic camera T80Cam, hosting one CCD identical to those in JPCam. The T80Cam/JAST80 system provides an effective FoV of 2 deg². Since 2016, it is primarily dedicated to conducting the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS), whose fourth data release (~ 5000deg²) was made public in November 2025.

The OAJ is a Spanish ICTS (Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure). As such, CEFCA offers 20% of OAJ Open Time to competitive PI-led projects, including Legacy Surveys with JAST80.

The OAJ data are reduced, calibrated, and released by the Data Processing and Archiving Department (DPAD) at CEFCA. In addition, the data from the main CEFCA surveys, such as J-PAS and J-PLUS, are validated and scientifically exploited by members of the Research Area at CEFCA.

Evaluation criteria

Evaluation will be based on a cover letter and the CV.

The list below outlines the evaluation criteria, which should be clearly addressed in the cover letter and CV. As with personal data, all submitted documents will be used solely for evaluation purposes and will be deleted afterwards.

1. Data analysis experience in optical imaging (60%)
   1. Extended PSF estimation and subtraction.
   2. Segmentation algorithms.
   3. Data reduction in astronomical imaging.
2. Coding experience (40%)
   1. Ability to program in C, shell, Makefiles and well experienced in Git.
   2. Code contributor or founder of software projects.
   3. Adherence to pre-defined coding conventions.
   4. Link to two modules/functions which you have authored and are most proud of: in the cover letter, describe what makes them unique from your perspective in terms of design, implementation, optimization, algorithm, etc.

Evaluation process

The selection committee will be composed of several members of CEFCA staff, who will assess the suitability of the candidates in an initial phase based on their submitted cover letter and CV, in accordance with the criteria established above. The highest-ranked candidates will be shortlisted for a final interview. Candidates will be informed by email of whether or not they have progressed through each phase of the process.

Recognizing the impact that family-related leave and career breaks (including maternity, paternity, adoption, and the care of dependent family members or relatives with serious health conditions) may have on scientific and technical careers, such circumstances, when properly documented, will be duly taken into account during the evaluation process.

To strengthen objectivity in the selection process, applicants are offered the possibility of submitting a blind curriculum vitae. A blind CV is a format that deliberately omits information regarding sex, age, origin, disability, or other personal circumstances, including exclusively details related to the applicant’s education, experience, and professional merits and competencies.

For questions on this position and application process, please contact with Dr. Mohammad Akhlaghi (makhlaghi [at] cefca.es).

Requirements and conditions

Education:	Master’s degree in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physics, Engineering, or a closely related field
Category:	MECES 3 (Master) or EQF 7
Language:	English
Place of work:	CEFCA Headquarters, in Teruel city
Salary:	Gross annual (1650 hours/year): From 31.000 to 33.000€ (to be agreed, depending on training, experience and degree of suitability for the position).
Duration of the contract:	6 months, subject to funding availability and the timescale of the project
Deadline:	March 20th, 2026 (23:59 CET)
Applications:	Applications shall contain a Cover letter and the CV, with emphasis on the evaluation criteria. To be submitted via email (Subject: "Ref.0140. Reduction RSE”) to ofempleoteruel4@aragon.es by the aforementioned deadline. Before submitting your application, you should carefully read the "basic information on the protection of personal data" below. Sending your application to the email ofempleoteruel4@aragon.es will be your confirmation that you understand the use we will make of your personal data and that you accept our privacy policy.

Work–life balance measures:

In accordance with the current CEFCA Collective Agreement, the standard working time is a 37.5-hour working week, with flexible working hours outside the established core time, up to 20% teleworking, and leave and absence entitlements in line with applicable regulations.

CEFCA is an equal opportunity employer committed to increase the diversity in its workplace. Applications of candidates from underrepresented social groups in our staff are welcome.

CEFCA is committed to promoting gender parity among its staff. Hence, applications from women are strongly welcome.