Postdoctoral Positions in Exoplanet

The astrophysics division of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute (TDLI; http://tdli.sjtu.edu.cn/EN/) in Shanghai is seeking one or a few candidates for a 2+1 year postdoc in exoplanet science. TDLI is an international research institute named after the Nobel Laureate Tsung-Dao Lee. Under the leadership of Prof. Frank Wilczek (Nobel Laureate in 2004), TDLI is becoming one of the leading centers for research on astronomy, nuclear and quantum physics.

The applicant will work with Prof. Fabo Feng (http://web.tdli.sjtu.edu.cn/ffeng/) to develop advanced algorithms and software (such as Agatha (https://github.com/phillippro/agatha) and PEXO (https://github.com/phillippro/pexo)) to model stellar activity stochastically or deterministically, to develop high precision data reduction pipelines for RV and transit missions, and to analyze transit, RV, astrometry, and other exoplanet-related data in a synthetic fashion. He/She will also be involved in the Chinese Space Station Telescope and Earth 2.0 transit missions as well as in the Carnegie PFS and Lick APF high precision spectrograph programs through collaborations.

Applicants should have a PhD in astronomy, physics, mathematics, or other related subjects by the time of appointment. Applicants will also be selected based on their skills in numerical methods, programming (python, R, or other), and publication record. The applicant will have a leading role in one or a few of the following areas:

1. Develop advanced RV data reduction pipelines to improve RV data precision by accounting for instrumental noise, Earth’s motion, and stellar activity (e.g., select spectra lines which are less influenced by stellar activity)
2. Stellar activity modeling and mitigation for RV and transit data by using either stochastic or deterministic models 
3. Develop algorithms for combined analysis of transit, RV, astrometry, and other exoplanet-related data
4. Establish comprehensive modeling framework to detect exomoons in transit, RV or imaging data
5. Advanced data processing pipeline for transit missions such as the Earth 2.0 mission

The appointment is for a period of two years and could be extended by one more year based on performance. It comes with a competitive annual salary ranging from 31k to 47k US dollars (or 210k to 312k RMB) including housing subsidies. The start date of the appointment should be earlier than September 1, 2021.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV (including publication list), research statement (<5 pages), and arrange three recommendation letters to be sent directly to Prof. Fabo Feng ([email protected]). For full consideration, all materials must be received before February 15th, 2021.