Call for application to the function of Director of the Centre de Données de Physique des Plasmas – CDPP

Created in 1998 jointly by CNES and INSU/CNRS, the CDPP (https://www.cdpp.eu) ensures the long term preservation of data obtained primarily from instruments built using French resources, and makes them readily accessible and exploitable by the international community. The CDPP also provides services to enable on-line data analysis (AMDA https://amda.cdpp.eu/, speasy https://speasy.readthedocs.io/en/latest/), 3D data visualization in context (3DView, https://3dview.cdpp.eu), and the Propagation Tool (https://propagationtool.cdpp.eu) which bridges solar perturbations to in-situ measurements. The CDPP is involved in the development of interoperability, participates in Virtual Observatory projects (IHDEA), contributes to ESA Space Weather Services (S2P), and supports proprietary data distribution for scientific missions (Solar Orbiter, BepiColombo, JUICE, …). CDPP is a National Observation Service (SNO) accredited by the Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers (CNRS), and is, as such, intended to provide value-added services to the scientific community.

The main missions of CDPP are: 

• Identify plasma physics data of natural origin of interest to the scientific community,
• Collect and format this data, once their quality has been validated,
• Implement a long-term archiving capacity for this data,
• Make available to the scientific user community:
• All archived data (i.e. controlled, homogeneous and validated data sets and products), in compliance with data rules of the road and standards;
• A set of services and tools aimed at facilitating and optimizing its use. For this, value-added services are developed, maintained and updated;
• Organize scientific workshops (presentations of results, learning of data processing software, etc.);
• Implement communication and knowledge dissemination activities.

The scope of the CDPP is national, European, and international.

Activity must be maintained at the highest possible level of quality and of scientific and technical relevance. This requires an active participation of scientists and engineers, as well as the development of an international role and collaborations, the networking of expertise and resources with CNES and other actors. 

The CDPP team benefits from a team of scientists and software engineers (subcontracted), in partnership with the following laboratories: IRAP, LAB, LATMOS, LPC2E, LPP, and LIRA (ex-LESIA). It relies on the general services of the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées and IRAP for support activities (computer and network system, administration, logistics).
The CDPP is currently engaged in a reflection to get closer to the MEDOC (https://idoc.osups.universite-paris-saclay.fr/fr/medoc-fr/) and STORMS (http://storms-service.irap.omp.eu) National Services of Observations, and, possibly, merge services (and more) altogether. The future scientific director of CDPP will pursue these discussions and contribute to the elaboration of joint actions and propose a roadmap if relevant. Being located at IRAP is not considered mandatory for the future scientific director, but regular travels to IRAP and CNES should be foreseen if this is not the case.

The final application, to be written in English, should include a short curriculum vitae, a publication list, and a detailed statement of intention describing the project for the CDPP. The formal applications should be sent by e-mail, with a subject line "Director, CDPP" to Nicolas ANDRE (current scientific director, nicolas.andre@irap.omp.eu), Dominica LEUNG (CDPP project manager at CNES, dominica.leung@cnes.fr), Myriam BOUCHEMIT (current technical manager at IRAP, myriam.bouchemit@irap.omp.eu), Benjamin GRISON (president of the CDPP User Committee, grison@ufa.cas.cz), Aurélie MARCHAUDON (INSU scientific representative, aurelie.marchaudon@irap.omp.eu) before 28th February 2025. For more information or questions the applicants can directly contact them. Selected applicants will be interviewed by the directors committee of CDPP.