Postdoctoral Fellowships on the Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST), University of Science and Technology of China

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Archive Date: 
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Post-doctoral Positions and Fellowships
Institution Classification/Type: 
Foreign
Institution/Company: 
University of Science and Technology of China
Department Name: 
Department of Astronomy
Street Line 1: 
96 Jinzhai Rd
City: 
Hefei
State/Province: 
Anhui
Zip/Postal: 
230026
Country: 
China
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

The Department of Astronomy at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) invites applications for a number of postdoctoral positions to start in the fall of 2019. The successful applicants will be deeply involved in designing, constructing and commissioning the Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST). Applicants working in a field where WFST has advantageous functionality (including but not limited to time-domain astronomy) or with an expertise in developing astronomical instrumentation for survey telescopes are strongly desired.

WFST is a proposed 2.5m wide field survey telescope intended for dedicated wide field sciences. To be commissioned in 2021, WFST is featured by its leading capabilities among optical survey facilities on the northern hemisphere. It will accquire high-precision astrometry and multi-color photometry and search/monitor dynamical events, which will potentially result in breakthroughs in time-domain astronomy (i.e. electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves), census of solar system objects, the structure of the Galaxy and near-field cosmology. Operated by School of Astronomy and Space Science at USTC, WFST has received funding support fully secured by the university.

WFST is to operate at six wavelength bands (u, g, r, i, z, and w), spanning over the wavelength range of 320-1028nm. Designed with a large field of view (3 degrees in diameter) and a 2.29m effective aperture, WFST will survey up to 6000 deg^2 of the northern sky in multiple colors each night, reaching 23rd magnitude for high-precision photometry and astrometry. The optical design is based on an advanced primary-focus system made up of a 2.5m f/2.48 concave primary mirror and a primary-focus assembly (PFA) consisting of five corrector lenses, atmospheric dispersion compensator (ADC), filters, and the focal-plane instrument. An enhanced transmission in the UV bands is another highlight. The total optical transmission reaches 23.5% at 320nm, allowing unique scientific goals in the U band. The focal-plane instrument is a 0.9 gigapixel mosaic CCD camera comprising 9 pieces of 10K×10K CCD chips. An active optics system (AOS) is used to maintain runtime image quality. The design of WFST is detailed in the following article: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016SPIE10154E..2AL

USTC is among the few top-ranked universities in China and is committed to provide strong support for postdoctoral researchers. Regular postdocs will receive an annual salary of 140,000 RMB at minimum and up to 180,000 RMB. A successful applicant can compete for an annual salary of 200,000 RMB for the first two years, under the condition that she/he holds a Ph.D. from an institution ranked among top 100 globally in one of the widely recognized world university rankings. The university also provides generous benefits in medical insurance, an additional housing subsidy of 1,000 RMB per month, and benefits on children daycare. All successful applicants are encouraged to apply for the USTC Youth Innovation Research Fund (100,000-120,000 RMB, with an application success rate of about 50%).

Applicants of all nationalities are encouraged to apply. A Ph.D. degree in astronomy, physics or a related discipline is a prerequisite for commencing the position. The initial appointment is two years, but may be extended to up to 6 additional years (rank promoted to non-tenure Research Associate Professor) contingent on performance and funding. Tenure promotion to associate or full professor is possible for outstanding candidates.

To apply, please prepare a CV/resume, a list of publications, a statement of research interests, and arrange for at least three letters of reference. All these documents are to be sent to Dr. Guilin Liu by email ([email protected]) with the subject "USTC WFST Postdoc Application/Your Name". The positions remain open until filled, but for full consideration, all application documents should arrive by March 30, 2019. For further inquiry, please reach [email protected] or (+86)-551-63606846.

Pay Compensation
Salary Min: 
$20717.00 (USD)
Salary Max: 
$31370.00 (USD)
Included Benefits: 

The university provides generous benefits on medical insurance, a housing subsidy of 1,000 RMB per month, and benefits on children daycare.

Application Deadline: 
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Selection Deadline: 
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Guilin Liu
Title: 
Dr.
Institution/Company: 
University of Science and Technology of China
Department Name: 
Department of Astronomy
Street Line 1: 
96 Jinzhai Rd
City: 
Hefei
State/Province: 
Anhui
Zip/Postal Code: 
230026
Country: 
China
Phone: 
+8655163600004
Inquiries About Job
Attention To: 
Yifu Cai