Position Summary
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at UNC Chapel Hill seeks candidates with a PhD in astrophysics, astronomy, or a related field, and postdoctoral experience in observational/experimental astrophysics, to design and carry out a cutting-edge research program with the high-performance 4.1-m SOAR telescope (for technical and community science overviews: http://soar2020.web.unc.edu/soar-technical-overview/). Your work with our and other telescopes will address fundamental problems in cosmology or astrophysics in collaboration with our strong groups in multi-wavelength observational astronomy, computational astrophysics and gravity, high-energy and cosmology theory, and neutrino and nuclear astrophysics. UNC Chapel Hill has 60 nights guaranteed annually on the SOAR telescope atop Cerro Pachon, Chile only 2 km from the LSST site, and operates a state-of-the-art remote observing center. We are also a partner with guaranteed nights on the 11-m SALT telescope operating in South Africa, run a network of robotic telescopes (the PROMPT rapid response array in Chile and Skynet globally), and are leading the Evryscope all-sky survey. Our instrumentation labs built SOAR’s Goodman high-throughput facility spectrograph and are executing several SOAR and large telescope instrument projects including high-order robotic adaptive optics to support exoplanet research. Campus computing clusters total more than 10,000 cores and have advanced visualization capabilities. The Chapel Hill area is a dynamic R&D and entrepreneurial environment including Research Triangle Park, Duke University, NC State University, and joint programs on advanced statistics and data mining. It is also a few hours drive from NRAO-Charlottesville and Green Bank.
Educational Requirements
PhD in astrophysics, astronomy, or related field
Qualifications and Experience
Postdoctoral experience in observational/instrumental astrophysics
Equal Opportunity Employer
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.
Special Instructions
At http://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/127271/ applicants should specify Physics and Astronomy in the Department drop-down list box, then upload PDF versions of their cover letter, CV, publication list, and separate research and teaching/mentoring statements by Wednesday, November 30, 2017 when application review will begin. Applicants should submit the names, titles, email addresses, and telephone numbers of a minimum of four (4), and a maximum of four (4), reference letter writers, and should upload at least three of these letters by the deadline. A fourth letter will be requested only of candidates who advance to the shortlist.
The University of North Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Department of Physics and Astronomy is dedicated to Carolina’s Commitment to building and sustaining an inclusive campus community that welcomes and respects all members from diverse backgrounds.
