Postdoctoral position in distance scale group at Universidad de Concepcion

The distance scale group at the Universidad de Concepción, Chile invites applications for a postdoctoral position in the distance scale/pulsating star physics area. The position is open immediately and is initially for two years, with an option to be extended to up to four years. Monthly salary is Chilean pesos 1.500.000 (currently about US$ 2.400).

The distance scale group is part of the Astronomy Department at the Universidad de Concepción which is in a state of vigorous expansion, currently including 12 faculty, 15 postdocs and about 30 masters and Ph.D. students. The distance scale group is led by professor Wolfgang Gieren and includes several postdocs and graduate students. The main project of the group is the Araucaria Project (https://araucaria.camk.edu.pl) whose goal is a 1% calibration of the local distance scale by improving stellar distance indicators including Cepheids, RR Lyrae stars, eclipsing binaries and red giant stars. The applicant is expected to closely work with the Araucaria project group.

The successful applicant will have access to the 10% of observing time on all existing and future telescopes in Chile, including the ESO VLT, Magellan, ALMA and Gemini-South, and in the future LSST, GMT and E-ELT. Information can be obtained at http://www.astroudec.cl, or directly from professor Gieren ([email protected]).

The Universidad de Concepcion is one of the three leading universities in Chile and located in the second-largest city in Chile, surrounded by a beautiful landscape and only a few miles from the Pacific coast. It also has the most beautiful university campus in Chile and a very pleasant climate throughout the year.

Applicants should submit a CV, a statement of the proposed research, and the names and email addresses of three professional references, all in a single pdf file, to Wolfgang Gieren by 31 March 2017.