Research Engineer in Atmospheric Measurements In Extreme Environments

EPFL - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Sion, Switzerland

Mission

The Extreme Environments Research Laboratory (EERL) is looking for a research engineer to support and enhance our field and laboratory measurements of atmospheric aerosols, trace gases and clouds. EERL is running several projects in the Arctic and Antarctic, including participation in large international endeavors such as Tara Polar Station and Antarctica InSync. Specifically, we are focused on vertical measurements, with our EERL helikite being the main platform. As payload we deploy both commercially available instruments as well as our own developments. Our newest helikite system (AVATAR) is nearly fully automated, allowing a single operator to handle the system in challenging conditions. We plan to further develop it for large-scale deployment.

The successful candidate will be interested in further developing existing systems as well as developing new ones to push the boundaries of our observational capabilities. They will also have a genuine interest in atmospheric and aerosol sciences, as well as polar regions.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Further develop and maintain the helikite system (winch, board computer, communication/control system, instrument integration in payload) and other custom-made laboratory systems;
• Obtain flight permissions;
• Design experiments, and contribute with own ideas to new observational and instrumental needs that arise;
• Support EERL researchers in maintaining and repairing instrumentation;
• Support field logistics;
• Participate in field campaigns;
• Keep health and safety standards in the laboratory;
• Documentation of work and systems;
• General contribution to EERL’s activities;
• Participate in student supervision;
• Promote polar research and its impact to the public.

Profile

• MSc in engineering with experience in electrical and mechanical engineering, mechatronics and applied physics;
• Skills in analog & digital circuit design, PCB design, embedded systems (ARM, Arduino, STM32), basics in signal processing;
• Coding experience (e.g., python, Matlab) and data handling/visualization;
• Experience in building prototypes;
• Experience in lab work and fixing of instrumentation;
• Experience in project management;
• Experience in field work is an asset;
• Good interpersonal skills, team player;
• Good knowledge of English (written and spoken).