Postdoctoral Researcher in Digital Receivers for Radio Astronomy

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Archive Date: 
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Post-doctoral Positions and Fellowships
Institution Classification/Type: 
Large Academic
Institution/Company: 
University of Oxford
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unknown
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

Postdoctoral researcher in Digital Receivers for Radio Astronomy

Astrophysics, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford


Grade 8: £39,324 – £46,924 p.a.

Applications are invited for a physicist or electrical engineer to a post funded by the Newton fund for international development (newtonfund.ac.uk). This project aims to promote research ties between the UK and Mexico via co-operation on applying advanced digital technologies to radio astronomy. Technology developed in the UK for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project will be used to build state-of-the art digital backends for two receivers on large radio telescopes in Mexico. The post-holder will lead the UK technical activity in the project, liaising with academics and postdoctoral researchers in Mexico.


As part of the SKA project, Oxford is leading developments in high-capacity digital signal processing systems, working with UK industry to deliver hardware systems capable of digitising and processing many gigahertz of signal bandwidth in real time, using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays. The post-holder will take the lead in applying these developments to building digital radio receivers for Mexican radio astronomy projects, developing and enhancing the current state of the art in hardware and firmware design, and transferring these skills to the Mexican participants. We expect to develop over the course of this project a library of firmware, software and hardware components that can be used in subsequent projects in Mexico and the UK.


The successful applicant will work closely with academics, post-docs and graduate students within Oxford Astrophysics, as well as with academics and engineers in Mexico. The Experimental Radio Cosmology Group within Oxford Astrophysics designs, builds and observes with new instruments for radio astronomy and experimental cosmology. The group is currently part of several projects, including the Square Kilometre Array, the C-Band All Sky Survey and the Consortium of Universities for Goonhilly Astronomy. Our key areas of technological expertise include optical and feed designs for radio astronomy, novel receiver architectures and high-performance digital signal processing. Our astronomical interests include observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background, the characterisation of polarized foregrounds for CMB B-mode experiments and CO intensity mapping at the epoch of reionization. The successful candidate will be encouraged to participate in the research of the group, according to his/her interests and experience.

Selection Criteria includes:

 PhD in astrophysics or electrical engineering, or equivalent postgraduate experience in high-speed digital electronics and FPGAs.
 Proven experience and publications in the design and construction of high-speed FPGA-based signal processing systems for radio receivers.
 Knowledge of and experience in using one or more FPGA development environments
 Experience in the use of microwave test equipment.

Questions can be directed to [email protected] and [email protected]

Only applications received by 12.00 midday on 1 March 2017 can be considered.

Included Benefits: 

No benefits information has been provided by the employer.

Application Deadline: 
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Current Status of Position: 
No Status Given (Opted Out)
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