Missions

The Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille (CPPM) is recruiting a software development engineer to contribute to the design, development, integration and maintenance of numerical simulation tools for the NISP instrument of the Euclid space mission.

Launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2023, the Euclid mission aims to explore the nature of dark energy and dark matter through large-scale mapping of the Universe. The Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) instrument provides infrared spectroscopy data that are essential for determining the three-dimensional distribution of galaxies with high precision.

NISP's numerical simulations are a critical component of the mission. They allow us to model the instrument's performance, validate data processing algorithms and evaluate their systematic ef-fects, and prepare scientific analyses.

Useful links:
- https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid
- https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/euclid
- https://cnes.fr/projets/euclid

Activités

The CPPM's Euclid team is heavily involved in the mission's Science Ground Segment (SGS) ac-tivities and is recognized for its expertise in processing NISP data. It is notably responsible for the development and production of a high-fidelity image simulator for the mission's infrared spectros-copy.

By joining this team, the recruited person will strengthen these activities and contribute to:
• the development of robust, tested, and maintainable software components;
• the continuous integration of the simulator into the consortium's workflows;
• the evolution of the software architecture, with a focus on scalability and modularity;
• large-scale simulation campaigns, carried out in collaboration with international teams;

The recruited candidate will join a dynamic team at the interface between instrumentation, model-ing, and observational cosmology, and will take part in a major space mission. They will interact closely with the consortium's scientific and technical teams, particularly those involved in simulation and data processing, and will participate in the mission's first scientific deliveries (DR1 in 2025, DR2 in 2027).

The contract is available as soon as possible and for a period of one year, with the possibility of re-newal beyond this term.
Pre-existing experience in a scientific or space project, or in the processing of observational data (astronomy, climatology, geophysics) would be an advantage.
Letters of recommendation may be included with the application.

Compétences

Experience
• Engineering degree, master's degree, or PhD in physics, astrophysics, scientific computing, or an equivalent field;
• Solid knowledge of software design, scientific computing, and numerical modeling;
• Mastery of the fundamentals of data and image processing, ideally in astronomy or scientific im-aging.
Technical skills
• Excellent knowledge of Python and C/C++, with experience in common scientific libraries (NumPy, Pandas, Astropy);
• Experience in version control (Git), continuous integration (Jenkins), and collaborative develop-ment (GitLab, GitHub);
• Experience with tests (Pytest, Unittest), quality control (SonarQube), and technical documentation (Sphinx, Doxygen);
• Knowledge of virtualization and containerization tools (Conda, Docker, Singularity);
• Knowledge of HPC cluster deployment, distributed infrastructure, and optimization;
• Excellent knowledge of technical English (level C1/C2), both written and spoken.
Personal skills
• Autonomy, rigor, and scientific curiosity;
• Excellent collaboration skills in an international and multicultural environment;
• A passion for agile teamwork, with particular attention to quality and reproducibility.

Contexte de travail

Located in the heart of the Calanques National Park, on the Luminy campus, the CPPM is a joint research laboratory of the CNRS and Aix-Marseille University, with approximately 180 researchers, engineers, and doctoral students.
The laboratory studies topics ranging from particle physics, astroparticle physics, and cosmology, with a strong technological component in electronics, mechanics, instrumentation, and computer science.
This strength enables the design and construction of cutting-edge detection systems, often required to operate in extreme conditions, such as in the depths of the ocean, in space, or underground.
Most of our research is conducted within the framework of leading international scientific collabora-tions, and our contributions are recognized worldwide.
The CPPM is committed to conducting ethical research and promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
It provides administrative and logistical support to newcomers, particularly doctoral students.
More details on the CPPM here: https://www.cppm.in2p3.fr/web/fr/