Hawking.org will be posting an official job advertisement for a Technical Assistant to Professor Hawking in mid-January. Here is an unofficial summary of the job from their Web page.

Here’s a video of Hawking from TED:

Technical Assistant To Stephen Hawking

Primary Purpose: To allow Prof. Hawking to function within the physics community and as a public speaker.

Compensation: £25,000 pounds (around $38,500) per year (no equity (This is an administrative post funded by the University of Cambridge.)

Responsibilities

  • Managing national and international travel for Prof. Hawking and his care team. Expect to spend around 3 months per year abroad!
  • Development and maintenance of Professor Hawking’s communication and speech systems
  • Procurement and maintenance of his wheelchairs and accessible van
  • Preparation of lecture graphics and public speaking
  • Dealing with the media and press
  • Answering inquiries from the public and maintaining the website
  • Manage media requests and keep database of Q & A’s
  • Manage national and international contracts, negotiate fees
  • Collaborate with publishers and publishers agents
  • Assist Prof. Hawking’s graduate students
  • Collaborate with the many charities (of which Prof. Hawking is Patron)
  • The PA has the task of advertising and assisting with the search for the GA when the 12 month contract (or extended contract) has expired.
Skills
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Maintenance of “black box” systems with no instruction manual or technical support
  • Computer literacy
  • Electronics knowledge
  • Ability to speak to a large audience
  • Ability to show others how to use complex systems

Perks & Past Highlights Of Hawking’s Past Personal Assistants

  • Setting up the zero-gravity trip with Peter Diamandis and then seeing an ecstatic Stephen Hawking (the boss!) floating in the Zero-Gravity Corporation comet on TV and on every news bulletin.
  • Helicopter trip over Cape Town.
  • Private jet travel.
  • Launch of a major Darlow Smithson/Discovery TV series ‘Stephen Hawking’s Universe’
  • U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom Award ceremony
  • Presentation of The Cosmos Award from The Planetary Society
  • Chelsea Flower Show – SWH meets HM The Queen in the MND Garden
  • Launch of “The Grand Design” at The Royal Albert Hall
  • Cosmos Award for Outstanding Public Presentation of Science, by the California-based Planetary Society.

You might also want to check out NewScientist’s interview with a tech lead for Prof. Hawking).

Estimated Start Date — Mid-February.

Apply — Click this application image or here to show your interest (t

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