One Postdoctoral Contract IAC-NOT Astronomer 2018

The IAC (Tenerife, Spain) invites applications for ONE IAC-NOT Astronomer contract to work as a postdoctoral researcher within the research and technical project “Remotization and/or robotization of the telescope”, led by Dr. Alejandro Oscoz Abad.

 

Research topics at the IAC include most areas of astrophysics: solar physics, planetary systems, stellar and interstellar physics, galaxy formation and evolution, and cosmology and astroparticles. These research lines are supported by an ambitious instrumentation program. The IAC has been selected as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence by the Spanish Government in 2015, a prestigious recognition awarded for the second time to the IAC as a leading research institute in Spain. Further information about the IAC's research programme, its Observatories and the 10.4m GTC is available at the IAC's web page (http://www.iac.es).

 

Duties: The selected candidate will pursue research related to the research and technical project “Remotization and/or robotization of the NOT telescope”, and its integration in the IAC remote telescope network. The selected candidate will have his/her residence at the Island of La Palma.

 

Specific tasks to develop:

 

• Carrying out periodic observations alone or with visiting astronomers, mainly in the NOT telescope, but also in other facilities that allow gathering the necessary information to obtain the aforementioned objective.
• The maintenance and monitoring of the quality of the Telescopes, Instruments and Experiments associated with the aforementioned project.
• Software development for remote control of these instruments, as well as software for accurate and reduction of the data obtained with them.
• Calibration of the responses of the instruments to observations of different objects.
• Writing manuals for users, both for those who do not have experience and for experts.
• Proposition, development and commissioning of improvements in the instrumentation.
• Collaboration with the Telescopic Operations Group in all the tasks carried out by this group.

 

Qualification Requirements: To be eligible for admission, applicants must have obtained a Ph.D. degree in Astrophysics or Physics, within the application deadline (April 30, 2018). A copy of the degree or corresponding stamped certificate (issued by the University where the degree was obtained), must be included. If the applicant has not completed the Ph.D. degree within the application deadline will not be considered.

 

Training: Those candidates who have done their Ph.D. research at the IAC must have undertaken a period of training at other research centres. This period must consist of either one continuous year or 18 accumulated months (including periods of training during their doctoral period).

 

Duration: The appointment will have a finishing date on February 29, 2020, the latest). The starting date is expected to be in the first half of 2018.

 

Merits to value:

Section A: Maximum score: 60 points.

 

• Scientific and technical contributions to the field of research.
• Scientific publications, in quality and quantity, collected in the Science Citation Index (SCI), paper in conferences; teaching tasks, scientific activity committees, scientific conference committees, conference organization, journal referee and stays in other centres.

 

Section B: Maximum score 40 points.

 

Adequacy of training and experience of the candidate to the contract he/she is applying for:

 

• Experience with professional telescopes, preferably with the NOT.
• Instrumentation and expertise with data reduction and analysis.
• Interest in and desire to increase their knowledge of those areas in which they are less experienced.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision and as part of a small and dynamic team.
• Spanish and English.

 

Previous experience as Support Astronomer and interest in astrophysical instrumentation will be particularly valued.

 

The previous inclusion of the candidate within a specific research proposal including research groups from both communities will be particularly valued.

 

In order to guarantee coverage of the effective equality of men and women, and developing the provisions of the Second Plan of Equality of the IAC, the merit values will be measured when certain documented situations exist, which can be presumed that they may diminish the performance of the personnel, with the aim that they do not detract from the evaluation of the career of each applicant. In any case, the following are considered to be special situations:

 

• Maternity, up to 18 months after the date of birth or adoption.
• Paternity, enjoyed as provided by Social Security, for the duration of the corresponding permit.
• Severe illness or accident with medical leave for a minimum of 3 months.
• Care for dependents for a minimum period of 3 months, as provided by Law 39/2006.
• Work Permits for care of dependent children or adults.

 

Remuneration: The gross annual salary is 38.274 Euros, subject to up to 20% tax and Social Security deductions (depending on the personal situation of the candidate). Medical insurance under the Spanish National Health Service will be provided for the candidate and will also cover spouse or registered partner (de facto partner) and children (if relevant).

 

Relocation allowance: This call includes a relocation allowance (only for the selected candidate) comprising: the cost of the flight ticket (booked and issued by the IAC), temporary accommodation for up to two weeks (organised by the IAC) and per diem rate up to two weeks.  The maximum IAC will reimburse is 2,000 Euros.

 

Non-UE citizens: Applicants who are not citizen of a country belonging to the European Union are invited to apply for this position, but, if selected, will be allowed to sign the contract with the IAC only after obtaining the compulsory documentation required to live and work in Spain. 

 

How to apply: use the online application system, http://www.iac.es/jobs/research/, including the required information and documents. Alternatively, follow the instructions in the official announcement (only in Spanish).

 

The required documentation must be submitted using the online application system and received by the application deadline. The application form, CV, publication list, statements of research interests and suitability for the position, copy of the Ph.D. degree, and copy the national identity or passport should be merged into a single PDF file.

 

Late applications or those that do not include the mandatory application form (Annex I), will not be considered. In case of incomplete applications, the applicant will have a period of five (5) days, starting from the day after publication of the provisional list of accepted and excluded candidates, to provide the missing documentation.