Responsibilities

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), located at SLAC, will begin operation in 2009 as the world's first x-ray free-electron laser, producing ultra-fast pulses of coherent x-rays with unprecedented brightness. A suite of x-ray instruments for exploiting the unique LCLS scientific capabilities will need to be operated. The candidate will work under supervision and in cooperation with members of the LCLS/LUSI Detector Control and OFFLINE Data Management teams. The candidate's primary responsibility will be to develop a broad range of Web applications in a context of the LCLS/LUSI project. The initial list of applications will include: The Electronic Logbook for LCLS/LUSI experiments; The Management Interface to the Users Authorization Service; The Interface to the Science Metadata Database; The Interface to the Data Exportation Service. The applications will be served via a unified visual framework (the Web Portal to the applications) which will need to be developed by the candidate as well. The Web Portal shall be extendable to accommodate new applications in the future. The candidate is expected to contribute into designing database schemas for some applications as needed. This candidate will also be responsible for deploying and maintaining the software for both test and production installations. The candidate will interact with both end users of the software and members of the LCLS/LUSI team at all stages of the software development cycle, including: requirements/specifications gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment and maintenance. The software shall be based on contemporary technologies, including JavaScript, JavaScript Frameworks, AJAX, Apache Web Server, PHP5, suitable PHP libraries/frameworks, MySQL. The target platform will be UNIX/Linux. The applications will have to be compatible with the most popular Web browsers (and relevant versions of those). The software shall be developed using best software engineering practices and be fully documented. The source code will be stored in Subversion. The candidate will prepare regular reports on a status of his/her work, participate in developers meetings, and participate in code and design reviews of the developed software. This position has the possibility of converting to a regular ongoing position.

Required Skills

The candidate must possess a BS degree or higher in computer science or related field and at least several years of experience in designing web applications. Must be able to show previous work in the relevant areas. Fluent in JavaScript, JavaScript Frameworks, AJAX, Apache Web Server, PHP5, suitable PHP libraries/frameworks, MySQL. Proficient in Linux/Unix. Ability to work with minimal supervision and be self-motivated. Excellent communications skills and ability to work well in a research and development team are required.