Four Postdoctoral Positions at the University of Cape Town

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Saturday, March 18, 2023
Archive Date: 
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Post-doctoral Positions and Fellowships
Institution Classification/Type: 
Large Academic
Institution/Company: 
University of Cape Town
Department Name: 
Department of Astronomy
Street Line 1: 
Private Bag X3
Street Line 2: 
Rondebosch
City: 
Cape Town
State/Province: 
Western Cape
Zip/Postal: 
7701
Country: 
South Africa
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

Applications are invited for 4 Postdoctoral Researcher positions in Extragalactic Radio Astronomy and Fast Transients and Gravitational wave sources in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. The appointments are for two years with an additional year contingent on satisfactory performance. The following positions are available:

Position 1 : MIGHTEE Radio Continuum

The MeerKAT telescope is the precursor of the Square Kilometre Array mid-frequency dish array to be deployed later this decade on the African continent. MIGHTEE is one of the MeerKAT large survey projects, designed to pathfind SKA key science in cosmology and galaxy evolution. Through deep full-Stokes radio continuum imaging over several fields totaling 20 square degrees to microJy sensitivities and an ultra-deep image of a single 1 sq. deg. MIGHTEE explores dark matter and large scale structure, the evolution of galaxies, including AGN activity and star formation as a function of cosmic time and environment, the emergence and evolution of magnetic fields in galaxies.  A joint program with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in India, extends sensitive imaging of the MIGHTEE fields to below 1 GHz.  

We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy as part of a vibrant research team in extragalactic continuum and polarisation science at the University of Cape Town.  The fellow will work on full-Stokes processing of MeerKAT MIGHTEE and related observations and participate in and lead MIGHTEE and Open time science projects.  Applicants should have experience with observations and data processing with interferometric radio antenna arrays for full-Stokes continuum science, and expertise in analysis of multiwavelength data.  The fellow will have access to MeerKAT MIGHTEE and ancillary data and associated GMRT data, and to the ilifu data intensive cloud facility (ilifu.ac.za) for processing and analytics.  For further information about the position please contact Russ Taylor ([email protected]), Lucia Marchetti ([email protected]) or Jacinta Delhaize ([email protected]).

Position 2: HI galaxy science with LADUMA

The Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array (LADUMA) survey is one of the Large Survey Projects currently observing on the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. The survey aims to observe neutral hydrogen in galaxies out to z~1.4, within a single deep pointing encompassing the Extended Chandra Deep Field South, with the goal of mapping the evolution of HI in galaxies over two-thirds the age of the universe. 

The UCT LADUMA group is seeking a postdoctoral fellow who has experience in the calibration and imaging of interferometric radio data who can contribute effectively to the efforts of the survey’s data processing team. The appointed postdoc will also have access to the full LADUMA dataset (radio + multiwavelength ancillary data) with which to pursue their  research projects, along with access to the ilifu data intensive cloud computing facility. For further information on the position, please contact Sarah Blyth ([email protected]).

Positions 3 & 4:  Fast Transients and Gravitational wave sources

The MeerLICHT telescope is an optical wide-field telescope that is synced with the MeerKAT radio array, in particular tied to the ThunderKAT and TRAPUM Transient Large Survey projects on MeerKAT. In a stand-alone mode MeerLICHT will also follow-up on gravitational wave alerts during LVK O4 and O5. The aim of the research group is to study populations of stellar transients for the understanding of binary stellar evolution, simultaneously in the optical and radio regimes. These transients can include stellar flaring sources, fast radio bursts, (super)novae, x-ray binaries and gravitational wave sources. 

The MeerLICHT/ThunderKAT/TRAPUM collaboration is seeking 2 postdoctoral fellows who have a keen interest in this research area and have experience in optical and/or radio transient research. Usage will be made of the Ilifu intensive cloud computing facility, the MeerLICHT/MeerKAT/SAAO/SALT telescopes in South Africa and facilities around the world. For further information on these positions please contact Paul Groot ([email protected]).

 

Profile: Applicants should have graduated with a PhD in Astronomy (or closely related field) within the past 5 years and have experience in observational radio astronomy and/or optical astronomy (for positions 3 & 4). Additional required skills are noted under each position above.

Applicants should email (as a single pdf) a CV, a publication list, a brief (~3 pages) overview of their research and interests and provide the contact details of 3 referees who are willing to send letters of recommendation if requested. Applicants should include in the subject and text of the email the title of the position they are applying to.

Application Deadline: 
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Roslyn Daniels
Title: 
Mrs
Institution/Company: 
University of Cape Town
Department Name: 
Department of Astronomy
Street Line 1: 
Private Bag X3
Street Line 2: 
Rondebosch
City: 
Cape Town
State/Province: 
Western Cape
Zip/Postal Code: 
7701
Country: 
South Africa
Inquiries About Job
Attention To: 
Roslyn Daniels
Subject: 
Postdoctoral Positions