Principal Scientist-South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI)

Applications are invited for the replacement of a prestigious Research Chair astronomer at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape Town, South Africa, funded by the South African Research Chair Initiative.

The SAAO is the National Facility for Optical and Infrared Astronomy of the National Research Foundation (NRF). Its headquarters are in the suburb of Observatory in Cape Town, while its telescopes are at Sutherland in the Northern Cape. Distributed between the two sites, SAAO employs about 130 people, many of them scientists and engineers, and is contracted to operate SALT (Southern African Large Telescope) on behalf of the international SALT Foundation. SAAO is the premier optical/infrared research facility on the African continent, with global research and outreach collaborations, contributing to science, engineering and technology, and human capital development for South Africa. The majority of the astronomers are based at the Cape Town headquarters. SAAO astronomers supervise several postgraduate students each year registered at universities around the country. We enjoy close links with the nearby University of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape, South African Radio Astronomy Observatory and Square Kilometre Array Observatory Cape Town office.

The SARChI will lead novel research in astronomy at SAAO, developing a comprehensive research programme in optical/near-infrared observational astronomy that makes use of the national multiwavelength facilities such as SALT, other SAAO telescopes, and MeerKAT as well as international opportunities. The research programme should complement other research done at SAAO and enhance international competitiveness, producing high quality research outputs. The SARChI will lead a research group with a number of postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows to grow and develop local capacity.

Key Responsibilities:

The SAAO Research Chair should be appointable at Full Professor (Tier 1) level and will be jointly appointed at a South African university. The SARChI should be an established researcher that is a leader in their field and/or internationally recognized for their research contributions. They are expected to lead a research group with a number of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, to grow and develop local capacity. Funding for students and postdocs is available within the SARChI programme. This position replaces the previous incumbent near the start of the second cycle, with approximately 9 years of SARChI funding available.

Key Requirements:

• PhD in astronomy
• Record of high quality international research commensurate with position and a strong record of student supervision.

For more information on the SARChI programme, see https://www.nrf.ac.za/core-mandate-business-divisions/risa-directorates/researchchairs-and-centres-of-excellence-rcce/south-african-research-chairs-initiative/. For information on the SAAO, see www.saao.ac.za.