Postdoctoral Position in Radio Astronomy

Applications are invited for postdoctoral positions in radio astronomy at Caltech, with particular focus on ongoing research at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO). Applicants must hold a Ph.D. degree in Astronomy, Physics, or a related field. Potential areas for a candidate to be involved span instrumentation, data analysis and interpretation. Candidates with experience in instrumentation or technical aspects of interometric calibration and imaging are particularly encouraged to apply. Active research projects include:

The Long Wavelength Array (OVRO-LWA): A low frequency (15-85 MHz) all-sky imaging and beam-forming array with focus on the auroral radio emission from exoplanets, prompt counterparts to gravitational wave events, extended air showers produced by cosmic-rays and the 21-cm power spectrum in the Cosmic Dawn epoch.

The Deep Synoptic Array (DSA-110): A 110-dish array that will localize hundreds of fast radio bursts (FRBs) to their host galaxies. The DSA will enable transformational advances in our understanding of the origins of FRBs, and of the unseen baryons in the CGM and IGM.

The CO Mapping Array Pathfinder (COMAP): An intensity mapping experiment using carbon monoxide (CO) lines to trace the distribution of star-forming galaxies in the Epoch of Galaxy Assembly and  the Epoch of Reionization. A two-year observing campaign has recently begun, using a 19-beam receiver on a 10 m dish operating at 26-34 GHz. Ancillary science includes line and continuum surveys of regions of the Galaxy and studies of the anomalous  microwave emission (AME).

SPRITE: A high frequency (~100 GHz) interferometer for the follow-up of transients.

realfast:  A real-time fast transient search system that operates in parallel with normal Very Large Array observations. realfast is now operational and will search thousands of hours per year to discover and localize FRBs, pulsars, and more.

VLA transients: Includes ongoing searches for radio transients in the VLA Sky Survey (VLASS) and follow-up of LIGO/Virgo detected compact binary mergers. 

Associated faculty are Professors Gregg Hallinan, Vikram Ravi, Tony Readhead and Shri Kulkarni. Additional relevant senior personnel are Kieran Cleary, Jonathon Kocz, Casey Law, Sandy Weinreb, James Lamb, David Woody and Kunal Mooley.

The postdoctoral fellowship position will start on September 1, 2020, or earlier. Initial appointments will be for two years, with a possible renewal for up to an additional two years, contingent upon performance and funding. Fellowship recipients will have the opportunity to propose for time on all of Caltech's astronomical facilities, including those at Palomar Observatory and at the W. M. Keck Observatory.

Complete applications received by December 15, 2019, will receive full consideration. Applications should consist of a single PDF file, including a cover letter, a CV, a list of publications, and a summary of previous and current research. Please also arrange for 3 letters of reference to be emailed to [email protected], with both the project/s and candidate's names in the subject line.

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