Applications are invited for a instrumentation scientist - physicist and engineering - position in the group of Prof. Lucas Labadie at the 1st Physics Institute of the University of Cologne, Germany.
Our institute contributes to the instrumentation program of the ELT through the METIS instrument. The project is currently going through the FDR phase and will see its first light around 2028/29. In this context, the 1st Physics Institute is responsible since 2016 for the design, procurement, manufacturing and integration of the Warm Calibration Unit (WCU) of the METIS instrument.
The successful applicant will take a prominent role in a team of 3 to 4 persons by directly contributing and supporting the finalization of the WCU, and will co-lead the Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Testing (MAIT) phase in Cologne. As from end of 2024, this new person will be directly involved in the full METIS assembly in Leiden (Netherlands) where the final integration will take place before transport to Chile. These activities foresee strong interactions with the METIS partners and system leads of the consortium. The task of the successful applicant strongly focuses in optimization of the optical, mechanical, thermal and electrical design, as well as procurement, laboratory prototyping and assembly of the WCU.
The candidate should hold PhD degree (or MSc with experience) in experimental physics, engineering or related discipline. He/She should have experience in the development of astronomical instrumentation and with lab characterization techniques. A strong asset would be the knowledge of optical and mechanical design and analysis software such as Zemax, Comsol, Inventor, Ansys, Creo. Experience with Matlab, IDL and/or Python is highly desirable. Good knowledge of the English language is required.
The position is for an initial period of 9 months, starting around September 2022 with an expected renewal for additional 3 years as from July 2023 after renewal of the grant. The salary is based on the E13 scale of German civil service. Applicants should send a CV and a brief statement of activity to [email protected]. They should arrange the email addresses of two referees to be contacted directly. Further inquiries are made at the same address. The deadline for submission is 15.07.2022, with the review of applications starting immediately following reception, until the position is filled. The University of Cologne is an equal opportunity employer in accordance with German laws. Further information are found at https://astro.uni-koeln.de/sites/astrophysics/workgroup/labadie/Position...
