Staff Scientist / Senior Staff Scientist

Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) invites applications for a Staff Scientist / Senior Staff Scientist position. LCO is a private, non-profit corporation, based in Santa Barbara, California.

We seek a scientist who will carry out a strong scientific program with our new NRES instruments, high-precision radial velocity spectrographs, in areas such as exoplanets or stellar astrophysics.  Exceptional candidates in other fields of study will be considered.  We expect the new hire to provide expert scientific support of the NRES instrumentation, as well as scientific leadership and advocacy, internally and externally.

LCO has built and operates a global network of telescopes with apertures from 40-cm to 2-m for time domain astronomy research and education. The distribution of sites allows 24-hour coverage. In addition to NRES, the instrumentation includes optical imagers and low-dispersion optical spectrographs.  The LCO network is used by an in-house science staff as well as by collaborators at about a dozen partner institutions around the world, and the national communities of China, Chile, and the United States.  LCO is actively engaged in collaboration with other observatories and projects to further develop the existing network into a time-domain follow-up system for the LSST era.

Current research by the LCO staff includes studies of supernovae and exotic transients; exoplanets, including transits and microlensing; solar system objects; stellar astrophysics; and AGN variability. In addition to their personal research programs, scientists are expected to spend a fraction of their time helping to support the operation and improvement of the observatory, including supporting external users.  Additional information about our organization, our global observatory, and our science can be found at our website (lco.global) or by contacting Ms. Sarah Rettinger, HR Manager, at [email protected]

Requirements include a PhD in physics or astronomy. Five or more years of experience in a university or observatory position is required.  Candidates with additional experience are welcome and the responsibility level and title of the position will be commensurate with the experience level of the candidate.  In addition, we are looking for a scientist with a demonstrated ability to develop and manage a research program and to produce significant publications.  Hands-on experience with instrumentation, particularly high-dispersion spectroscopy, would be valuable.

The new hire will benefit from a close working relationship with the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Applications complete by November 1, 2017 will receive full consideration.  Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, publication list, brief description of research interests, and names of three professional references (all in a single PDF document) to [email protected]

LCO is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity employer.  LCO is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity of our organization and the academic community.