The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere awards several postdoctoral fellowships each year. The goal of these fellowships is to offer outstanding young scientists the opportunity to further develop their independent research programmes in the exciting scientific environment of one of the world's foremost observatories. Fellowships are available both at ESO’s Headquarters in Garching near Munich, Germany, and at ESO’s astronomy centre in Santiago, Chile.
The fellowships in Garching start with an initial contract of one year followed by a two-year extension (3 years total). In addition to developing their independent research programmes, ESO Garching Fellows will be expected to engage in some functional work, for up to 25% of their time, related to e.g. instrumentation, VLTI, ALMA, E-ELT, science operations support either in Garching or at one of ESO’s observatories in Chile, or public outreach.
The fellowships in Chile are granted for one year initially, with annual extensions for three additional years (4 years total). During the first three years, the Fellows are assigned to one of the science operations groups of Paranal, ALMA or APEX, where they will contribute to the operations at a level of 80 nights per year. During the fourth year there is no functional work and several options are provided. The Fellow may be hosted by a Chilean institution where she/he will be eligible to apply for time on all telescopes in Chile via the Chilean observing time competition. Alternatively, the Fellow may choose to spend the fourth year either at ESO's astronomy centre in Santiago, or at the ESO Headquarters in Garching, or at any institute of astronomy/astrophysics in an ESO member state.
The programme is open to applicants who will have achieved their PhD in astronomy, physics or a related discipline before 1 November 2013. Early-career scientists from all astrophysical fields are welcome to apply. We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary and allowances (tax-free), comprehensive social benefits, and we provide financial support for relocating families.
For more information about the fellowship programme and ESO's astronomical research activities, please see: http://www.eso.org/sci/activities/FeSt-overview/ESOfellowship.html. If you are interested in enhancing your early career through an ESO Fellowship, then please apply by completing the web application form available at http://jobs.eso.org. Reference letters to support your application should be sent to vacancy@eso.org for Garching and vacchile@eso.org for Chile.
The closing date for applications is 15 October 2012, and review of the application documents including the recommendation letters will begin immediately.
