Senior Instrument Scientist (Simulation) at Muon Space

Muon’s Instrument Science team, part of our broader Electro-Optical/Infrared Instruments organization, defines the science, models, and calibrates the instrument, and validates its performance, translating physics into orbital capability from concept through end-of-life. As our Senior Instrument Scientist responsible for Simulation, you will own the simulation and modeling that connect optical, detector, and scanner physics to on-orbit capability, drive instrument performance prediction, and build the virtual instrument and digital twin representations of our on-orbit hardware.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain end-to-end instrument performance simulations, from optical, detector, and scanner physics through predicted on-orbit capability.
• Build and maintain the virtual instrument and digital twin representations of our on-orbit hardware, keeping them aligned with as-built performance.
• Define flight software inputs for operating modes, sensor readout, and scanner control based on simulation results.
• Support on-orbit performance monitoring and anomaly investigation, feeding lessons learned back into the simulation models.
• Participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation to support on-orbit anomaly resolution. The on-call rotation is approximately one week every month and a half.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or doctoral degree in engineering, physics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience coding and simulating performance for imaging systems, remote sensing instruments, or comparable electro-optical hardware.
• Experience building instrument performance models or simulations, radiometric, geometric, optical, or systems-level.
• Software proficiency in one or more languages, such as Python, Julia, or C++, including experience writing code that others depend on, tested, reviewed, and maintained in a shared codebase.
• Strong communication skills, comfortable translating performance predictions into requirements and trade studies across Instrument Systems, Flight Software, and Mission Systems teams.

Nice-to-have Skills

• Familiarity with flight software concepts, such as operating modes, sensor readout, or scanner and pointing control.
• Exposure to radiometric or geometric calibration methodology.
• Experience with virtual instruments or digital twin architectures.
• Experience supporting on-orbit commissioning, calibration and validation, or fleet performance monitoring and anomaly investigation.
• Ability to apply first-principles physics to validate simulation outputs.