CTIO/SMARTS Employment Opportunities

Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a division of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), together with the SMARTS consortium, invites applicants for a three-year postdoctoral fellow position at our facilities in La Serena, Chile.  Observational astronomers interested in developing their career in an active research environment with staff working on a wide variety of topics including aspects of observational cosmology, stellar populations, star formation and evolution, development of adaptive optics, and optical and infrared instrumentation are encouraged to apply. 

The position has equal components for research and functional time.  The successful candidate will be expected to spend 50% of their time pursuing an active program of research, preferably involving the small telescopes at CTIO.  These include the 1.5m, 1.3m, 1.0m, and 0.9m telescopes and associated instrumentation. These telescopes are currently are currently being operated by the SMARTS (Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System, http://www.astro.yale.edu/smarts) consortium, a group of several universities and other organizations with interests in scientific projects that can be undertaken with these facilities. 

As focus of the functional component of the position, the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the instrument and observer support for the CTIO/SMARTS telescopes.  The successful candidate would serve as local coordinator for SMARTS activities at CTIO.  Further details can be obtained from CTIO Director, Chris Smith (csmith@ctio.noao.edu).  The position is for two years, extendible to three (3) years pending full funding. 

 NOAO is the national center for night-time ground-based astronomy in the United States.  Its mission is to provide access to an optimized system of high-performance telescopes of all apertures, and to the data from them, for the benefit of the entire community.  CTIO is NOAO’s branch in the southern hemisphere, and operates the Blanco and SOAR 4-meter telescopes.  CTIO is also a member of the SMARTS Consortium, and provides the infrastructure for all the facilities on Cerro Tololo. CTIO has a strong technical group that develops optical and infrared instrumentation, as well as adaptive optics. CTIO staff members participate in all the NOAO-wide programs, including GSMT, LSST, Gemini support, Data Products, and Instrumentation. 

The position is based at the AURA campus in La Serena, Chile, which includes the offices of CTIO, SOAR and Gemini-South, with the offices of Las Campanas Observatory next door.  The working language is English. Staff members have excellent benefits and living conditions, a cost-of-living allowance, an educational stipend for dependent children, support for Spanish lessons, international health care benefits, and annual travel to point of hire. Bilingual education for children is available at the International School of La Serena which was co-founded by and still supported by AURA. The city of La Serena is a major seaside tourist destination in South America, with a climate very similar to San Diego, California. 

Applications received prior to January 31, 2009 are assured of full consideration; however, the position is open until filled.  NOAO is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer; we foster a diverse research environment and women and candidates from underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.

Applicants should submit electronically (preferred) to hrnoao@noao.edu, or mail to the address below: a curriculum vita; a statement of current research interests, details of experience relevant to observers support, and the name of three references. When applying for this position please reference CTIO/SMARTS Postdoctoral Fellow, Job #926. 

Send resume to:

Human Resources Office
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
P.O. Box 26732
Tucson, Arizona 85726-6732
Email: hrnoao@noao.edu
FAX: 520-318-8456

Posted: 2008.11.133

Last updated: 2008.11.13