Postdoctoral positions in AGN studies with ALMA and H-Alpha Surveys with DECam

The Institute of Astrophysics of Pontificia Universidad Catolica (IA-PUC) in Santiago, Chile and the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (KIAA) of the Peking University in Beijing, China invite applications for two joint postdoctoral research positions as part of an ongoing research exchange: one focused on ALMA emission line and continuum studies of AGN and their host galaxies, in conjunction with Drs. E. Treister (IA-PUC), F. Bauer (IA-PUC), R. Wang (KIAA) and L. Ho (KIAA); the other focused on a wide-field DECam H-alpha imaging survey of galaxies in nearby clusters led by Drs. T. Puzia (IA-PUC) and E. Peng (KIAA).

IA-PUC and KIAA are premier institutes in Chile and China, respectively, with vibrant, dynamic, and productive international research environments for scientific exchange, each comprised of 15-20 faculty members, 25-35 postdoctoral researchers, 40-60+ graduate students, and many visiting scholars. Members of this international team are leading or active participants in several ongoing international collaborations: Frontier Fields Survey, NuSTAR Legacy Surveys, VLT-MOONS, SDSS-V BlackHole Mapper, LSST AGN Working Group, the Black hole-Host Lifecycle Evolution (BHOLE) project, the Next Generation Fornax/Virgo Surveys (NGFS/NGVS), Survey of Centaurus A’s Baryonic Structures (SCABS), The HST Coma Cluster Core Project (C3PO), the Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionized Gas Emission (VESTIGE), the Neighborhood Watch project and many others.

The initial appointments are for 2 years, with possible extension up to 4 years, subject to availability of funding and satisfactory performance. The joint positions would start at IA-PUC for a period of 1-2 years, with the option to continue at KIAA for an additional 1-2 years. Extended collaboration visits, ~1 month, to both institutes are expected.

While resident at IA-PUC, candidates will qualify as a member of the Chilean community with 10% privileged access on all telescopes in Chile, including ESO/Paranal's 4x8m VLT and 4m VISTA, La Silla's 3.5m NTT and 3.6m and 2.2m telescopes, Gemini-South 8m, Carnegie's 2.5m and Magellan 2x6.5m, CTIO's 4m (Blanco), SOAR 4m, as well as ASTE, APEX, and ALMA. Additionally, the IA-PUC hosts two supercomputers and a GPU cluster, which are available for numerical simulations, large databases, and data analyses KIAA members have access to several optical 2m-6.5m facilities and radio-submm facilities (FAST, JCMT, SMA, NOEMA), and they are involved in a number of large international collaborations, including DESI, VLT MOONS, PFS, SDSS-V, LSST, and SKA.

START DATE: May-August 2018

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Ph.D. in astronomy, physics, or related fields completed or expected by effective date, and a demonstrated record of research excellence and observational expertise related to one of the two positions. IA-PUC and KIAA are equal opportunity employers. Candidates of any nationality or gender are encouraged to apply. English is the primary working language at both institutes.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Applicants should submit by email and in pdf format to Prof. Ezequiel Treister ([email protected]) the following documents: CV including exact or expected PhD date; publication list; research summary (max. three pages) describing past projects and future interests, and the names of three people willing to write letters of recommendation upon request.

CONTACT FOR INQUIRIES: Ezequiel Treister, Franz Bauer, Thomas Puzia, Luis Ho and Eric Peng. Useful information for postdocs newly moving to Chile can be found here.