The Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg is one of the leading astronomical research institutions with about 350 employees from all over the world. The institute is developing instruments for large ground- and space-based observatories. As part of the construction and commissioning of the calibration system for MICADO—the "First Light" camera (the initial scientific operational phase) for the ELT—we are advertising two exciting fixed-term postdoctoral positions in the field of instrumentation research: Calibration data scientist (m/f/d) and Calibration instrument scientist (m/f/d), both Ref. 418.

Your tasks

The positions: are related to the MCA and its functional role to guarantee the scientific performance of MICADO from day one until the end of operation.

The calibration data scientist shall concentrate on the data analysis and contribute to the definition and execution of the calibration plan of the instrument.
The calibration instrument scientist will lead the hardware related work, testing the as-built performance, proposing design changes when needed to meet the requirements, leading the system integration phase of the MCA in the overall MICADO system.

Both positions are at the interface between instrumentation and scientific application, one emphasizing the hardware while the other emphasizing the software work of the task. The positions will allow the successful candidates to build or continue a career in astronomical instrumentation. The successful candidates will work with our strong technical team, with the international MICADO partners and ESO as the operator of the telescope.

Depending on the interest, an application to both profiles can make sense and is encouraged if properly motivated by the skillset of the candidate. Regular travels and an active role, visible both in the international MICADO consortium and in the MPIA-local institute community beyond MICADO is part of the job description.

Specific duties: will depend on the particular experience and strengths of the candidate, the above distinction between calibration data scientist and instrument scientist is somewhat arbitrary. But the ideal instrument scientist will lead the practical side of the verification of the MCA subsystem hardware, will setup functional tests of the final hardware (lamps, stages, hexapod, fibres etc.). Instead the ideal calibration data scientist will explore the raw data quality, verify data reduction steps, interact with the data pipeline development team and contribute to developing data quality assessment. Duties will benefit from experience with astronomical mission calibration plans, systematic data analysis of larger amount of calibration data, instrument documentation to ESO standards. Goal is the testing of available MCA hardware and its integration into the overall MICADO instrument to prepare for the preliminary acceptance Europe (PAE) testing at the ESO headquarters in Garching towards the end of the hire.

Your profile

Applicants should have: a PhD in astrophysics, physics, or engineering. Practical expertise in building optical, astronomical instruments, knowledge of optics, optical design (preferably Zemax) and measurement techniques, and a scripting language (preferably Python) for data analysis is required. Experience with astronomical data calibration in near-infrared wavelengths is a plus. We expect interest in applying new strategies to the data reduction and quality control, as well as in interaction with the data reduction pipeline development team.

Our offer

The appointment: remuneration is, following German public employment standard,  depending on qualifications and professional experience. Social benefits are granted in accordance with the regulations of the civil service. Funds for publications, travel and computer equipment will be provided. The successful applicant can start as early as  Oct. 1st, 2026. We offer very challenging tasks in an international scientific environment.

The Max Planck Society aims to increase the proportion of women in areas in which they are underrepresented. Women are therefore expressly encouraged to apply. The Max Planck Society promotes professional equality between women and men. A good work-life balance is important to us at the institute. We offer our employees family-friendly working hours and support them in finding suitable childcare facilities. The Max Planck Society has set itself the goal of employing more people with severe disabilities. Applications from people with severe disabilities are expressly welcome. If you have any questions about severe disabilities, please contact sbv@mpia.de. For questions about equal opportunities, please contact the equal opportunities officer at equality@mpia.de.

Your application

Your application should include the following documents: Curriculum vitae (max 3p), a cover letter (detailing your motivation and fitting expertise, max 2 p), overview of your previous experience, of knowledge and skills relevant to this job posting, work references, list of publications, university transcripts. Please prepare for at least two letters of reference. If you are interested, please apply by July, 31^st, 2026 exclusively online at the following application portal. 

For inquiries, please contact Jörg-Uwe Pott (pott@mpia.de). Further information can be found at www.mpia.de.