Post Doctoral Fellowship, Adaptive Optics Scientist

Project Title

Non-Linear Wavefront Sensing

The Program

The NRC’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program offers PDFs access to unique world-class facilities and the opportunity to work alongside multi-disciplinary teams of expert researchers and technicians on projects of critical importance to Canada. PDFs will carry out research on innovative research projects, with opportunities for career development (publications and/or industry interaction).

PDFs will be offered appointments to the staff of the National Research Council on a term basis and will be offered salaries and benefits currently available to Research Officers. Salaries commensurate with experience are taxable and subject to other deductions. As a guide, the current annual PhD recruiting rate is $83,985. In addition, PDFs will be allocated a travel fund to support their work.

The Role

A confluence of technological milestones in detector, computation and machine learning development, both globally and within the NRC, makes high-speed non-linear wavefront sensing for Astronomy an imminent technological milestone. We are seeking a Post-Doctoral Researcher to lead the design, build and test of a non-linear wavefront sensor from the ground up with the objective of demonstrating fully non-linear real-time control on-sky using the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory’s 1.2m telescope.

The successful candidate will conduct research toward enabling astrophysical observations which are not yet possible, and increasing the scientific productivity of ground-based optical telescopes. The candidate will leverage HAA’s real time control, machine learning, and wavefront sensing expertise, and that of collaborators at Canadian Universities. Taking advantage of HAA’s unique local on-sky Adaptive Optics capabilities, the candidate will be encouraged to grow as an instrument scientist by working to identify and find solutions to key technological hurdles in AO science, while gaining experience in the full instrument development process from conceptual design through integration at the observatory.

NRC-Herzberg has a rare combination of staff involved in astronomy research, instrumentation design and development, engineering, data science and observatory support. Our fellowships are intended to leverage this environment to help mentor researchers who will become the leaders necessary to enable ambitious cutting edge astronomy research in the coming decades. We are committed to ensuring that all staff members promptly receive the accommodation they need to do their job and we understand the importance of work/life balance.