Operations Staff Astronomer - VLTI

The European Southern Observatory is opening the following position at Paranal, Chile:

(Career Path V)

Paranal Operations Staff Astronomers contribute to the challenge of operating the world leading astronomical facility and optimizing its scientific output. In 2016 and the following years, major new systems will complement the available suite of instruments, including the VLTI 2nd generation instruments Gravity & Matisse, the Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) on UT4, the planet hunter ESPRESSO, and 4MOST.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to gain and provide expert knowledge on novel instrumentation, and may be given the overall responsibility for an instrument at the Very Large Telescope. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in interferometric observations, but astronomers with excellent observational expertise in other areas are also welcome to apply. Flexibility exists so as to tailor duties and responsibilities according to personal expertise and interests.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

As part of the operations team, the successful candidate will:

• Contribute to the observing support in both visitor and service mode at Paranal Observatory, including short-term scheduling of observations, calibration of instruments and the assessment of the scientific quality of the astronomical data.

• Work in collaboration with one or several of the teams operating the instruments currently on the mountain to improve their operations and scientific performance, and contribute to the operations-readiness of the second generation of VLT(-I) systems.

The successful candidate will be member of the ESO Science Faculty, with an appointment at the level of Assistant or Associate Astronomer. S/he will be expected and encouraged to actively conduct astronomical research.

We are seeking a Ph.D. in Astronomy, Physics or equivalent, with a strong background in state-of-the-art observing techniques, preferentially but not restricted to interferometry, and a solid scientific track record in observational astronomy.

Applications must be completed in English and should include a motivation letter, a research statement and a CV (with list of publications). The position requires three letters of reference

For more information and on-line applications go to https://recruitment.eso.org/, and visit the public web page of Paranal Science Operations http://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/paranal/sciops.html.

Closing date is 30 September 2016.