Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Overview

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that addresses fundamental scientific questions. We value talented people who are passionate about their work. Join us and be part of the diverse Caltech community.

Job Summary

IPAC at Caltech is seeking a full-time, one-year term, post-baccalaureate researcher to investigate and implement strategies for leveraging large language models (LLMs) to help users navigate the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA) data and services, with applicability to other IPAC archives. This role supports astronomers and data scientists in accessing IRSA’s petabyte-scale archives.

IPAC, part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech, provides science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision. IRSA curates scientific data sets from NASA missions and other sources, ingesting large imaging datasets and supporting tools for access, visualization, and analysis. IRSA supports missions including SPHEREx, Euclid, and NEO Surveyor.

You will work within a small team to investigate strategies for leveraging LLMs to assist IRSA data and tool users. Activities include developing proofs of concept in Python, creating a testing suite of user questions, and evaluating implementations against this testing suite. You will present results to the team and the IPAC community, and document findings. Day-to-day work includes coding in Python, collaborating with scientists and software engineers, reading and writing technical documentation, assessing model performance, and summarizing findings.

• Bachelor’s or equivalent degree in a technical field (e.g., Astronomy, Physics, Math, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Sciences).
• Experience with large language models (LLMs).
• Fluency in Python.
• Strong communication and writing skills.

• Experience with astronomical data sets is advantageous but not required.
• Experience with APIs is advantageous but not required.

• Resume listing relevant experience and qualifications.
• Cover letter describing interest and fit for the position.

The expected start date for this role is mid-March 2026. This is a full-time, one-year term position. The Final date to receive applications is February 2, 2026.

IPAC offers a casual, employee-centric culture and a competitive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and more. IPAC staff have access to Institute facilities and resources.

Hiring Range: $20.00 – $28.00 Per Hour. Final salary will be determined based on factors including experience and education. Caltech provides comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and dependents.

Caltech is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. Caltech is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. To read more about Equal Employment Opportunity, see the EEO poster.

Caltech complies with FEHA and the ADA. We consider reasonable accommodations to enable eligible applicants to perform essential functions. If you need an accommodation during the application or interview process, contact Caltech Recruiting at employment.