Postdoctoral Scholar in Very High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astrophysics

The successful candidate will be expected to take a lead role in the development of optics alignment systems for the medium-sized gamma-ray telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO). They will also have the opportunity to participate in science studies using data from the VERITAS gamma-ray telescopes and CTAO.

UCSC is a founding member of the U.S. group participating in a worldwide effort to develop CTAO, the next generation arrays of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes to study very high-energy gamma-ray sources. The postdoctoral scholar will join a new effort by the SCIPP group, in collaboration with both U.S. and international partners, to develop optics alignment systems for the two designs of medium-sized gamma-ray telescopes that are being developed for CTAO, covering the core energy region of 100 GeV - 10 TeV. The scholar will be expected to lead laboratory work, assisted by students, to optimize the alignment system design and verify its performance. The scholar will also be expected to interface with potential vendors who will fabricate components and ultimately assist with installation on the telescopes. The SCIPP group is also working on simulating aspects of the telescope performance and array performance for CTAO and on-going studies with the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope at the Whipple Observatory, adjacent to VERITAS.

Members of the SCIPP group are active in the VERITAS Collaboration, particularly in the study of extragalactic (active galaxies and gamma-ray bursts) and multi-messenger (e.g. gravitational wave events) sources. The postdoctoral scholar will be expected to contribute to these activities or similar studies with early CTAO data.

Applicants with expertise or a strong interest in instrumentation for optics or detecting high-energy particles and/or astrophysics of gamma-ray sources are encouraged to apply.