Faculty Positions on the Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST), University of Science and Technology of China
Job Summary
Job Description
The Department of Astronomy at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) is seeking to fill a number of faculty positions at the level of full and associate professorships. The successful applicants will be deeply involved or even play leading roles 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 research universities in China. The University is committed to building world-class faculty and providing strong supports for its faculty members. These include internationally competitive packages with ample housing subsidies, generous benefits in medical insurance and pension, large start-up package, and strong assistance to establish new research teams. Salary and rank will commensurate with qualifications and experience.
We encourage candidates to apply through the national recruitment programs, including the Thousand Talents Plan Professorship for Young Talents and the Hundred Talents Program of Chinese Academy of Science - Young Talents (see http://employment.ustc.edu.cn/en/). Candidates are expected to have attained internationally influencial achievements and high-level academic reputation, and should have strong commitment to excellence in undergraduate/graduate education and research.
To apply, please provide a cover letter identifying the primary area of research, curriculum vitae, list of publications, research and teaching statements, and arrange for at least three recommendation letters to be submitted to Dr. Guilin Liu by email, with the subject "USTC WFST Faculty Application/Your Name" ([email protected]) by April 30, 2019. The positions are open until filled, but materials should arrive by the deadline for full consideration. For further inquiry, please reach [email protected] or (+86)-551-63606846.