Detector Engineer

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

Job Summary

LIGO Livingston Observatory (LLO) relies on continuing efforts by scientists and engineers to maintain and improve the 4-km detector’s displacement sensitivity (and thereby its astrophysical range) and its duty cycle. Together, these goals lead to more frequent observations of gravitational waves recorded by the network of detectors that includes LIGO (USA), Virgo (Europe), and KAGRA (Japan) interferometers. LIGO seeks a new member of its Detector Engineering Group at LIGO Livingston, with an emphasis on detector calibration science and engineering.

The successful candidate will collaborate closely with the operations team and commissioning scientists at LIGO Livingston Observatory and LIGO Hanford Observatory, together with colleagues at Caltech and MIT. As a detector engineer, you will have the opportunity to apply your skills to the operation, design, development, installation, and commissioning of technologies that increase the LIGO detector sensitivity and robustness. This is a highly multidisciplinary activity.

Detector Group members track and reduce the noise sources that limit the current detector sensitivity; model optical subsystems of the interferometer and compare to data; calibrate the interferometer length sensitivity; investigate and eliminate noise couplings from the external environment of the detector; devise and implement operational methods to improve duty cycle; carry out R&D projects for future gravitational wave detectors and participate in planned hardware and software upgrades to the detector to improve sensitivity. Individual team members specialize in one or more of these, maintaining higher expertise and operational responsibility in these areas, but there are opportunities to learn about and contribute to many different parts and aspects of the LIGO detectors, as expertise and experience grow.

This is an in-person role at the LIGO Livingston Observatory in Louisiana

Essential Job Duties

• Report to the LLO Lead Detector Engineer.
• Establish and maintain expertise in the LIGO detector’s various systems and components, including the laser, suspension, sensing and control scheme, associated analog and digital instrumentation and software.
• As part of the LIGO Lab’s and collaboration’s teams, take initiative to improve diagnostics and operational methods.
• Provide troubleshooting and rapid, on-call response to performance issues with the detector.
• In close collaboration with other engineers, scientists, and detector operators, participate in the design and execution of detector modifications to enhance reliability, performance, and maintainability.
• Write log entries, prepare reports, and otherwise clearly communicate and document procedures, results, and findings, within LIGO and/or for scientific publications.
• Occasional travel to other LIGO Laboratory sites may be required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• BS in physical sciences or engineering or equivalent experience.
• Experience designing, constructing and/or installing precision scientific instruments and instrumentation systems, or experience maintaining precision scientific instruments or instrumentation systems.
• Competence with common office and scientific software.
• Ability to professionally communicate (written and verbal) within the observatory and within the broader collaboration.
• Ability to lift a minimum of 20 lbs. 
• Ability to work on-site at the LIGO Livingston Observatory in Louisiana.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in physics; in mechanical, optical, systems, aeronautical, or electrical engineering; or in a closely-related field.
• A strong working knowledge of MATLAB and/or Python.
• Experience using SolidWorks or a similar modern 3D design system.
• Experience in highly collaborative research and operating environments.
• Experience in a position that required use and characterization of complex dynamic systems.

Required Documents

• Cover letter summarizing your relevant experience and why you want to work at LIGO Lab.
• Resume.