CSIRO Astronomy & Space Science, based in Sydney Australia, seeks to appoint two Postdoctoral Fellows. The first position to study pulsar timing noise and the second position to carry out research relating to the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) project. The successful applicants are expected to conduct independent research and to collaborate with members of the CSIRO astronomy team and the PPTA team. The appointees will have access to Parkes pulsar data sets obtained for the Fermi-support mission and from the PPTA project.
For the first position, the successful candidate will study timing noise in young and millisecond pulsars, search for mode-switching processes, predict the likely affect of timing noise on gravitational-wave detection experiments over decadal timescales and attempt new techniques to remove the timing noise.
For the second position, the appointee will lead one aspect of the PPTA project. The exact choice of topic will depend upon the skills and science interests of the candidate but may be related to 1) gravitational wave detection, 2) searching for evidence of coalescing supermassive black hole systems, 3) developing pulsar-based timestandards, 4) high-precision millisecond pulsar timing or 5) searching for unknown objects in the solar system.
Applications must be made through Job References NSW12/03383 and NSW12/03384 at http://nga.csiro.au/. Applications close 18 November 2012.
Benefits include a generous discretionary research allowance, relocation costs, superannuation, health insurance where appropriate, maternity leave, and four weeks annual vacation leave.
