Two Postdoctoral Fellowships in Very-High Resolution VLBI Research at Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn, Germany

Two Postdoctoral Fellowships in Very-High Resolution VLBI Research at Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn, Germany

Applications are invited for two postdoctoral positions from recent Ph.D's with good experience in radio astronomy, especially in Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and astrophysical research on extragalactic compact objects (AGN). The appointments will be made in the VLBI department led by Prof. Dr. J. Anton Zensus, for an initial one-year term starting in the 1st half of 2014, and renewable for up to two more years (3 years total).

Our departments focus in the field of very-high-resolution VLBI studies is in the two main directions: space- and mm-VLBI. Both areas are supported by the VLBI Technology group, which runs the MPIfR DiFX software correlator. The space-VLBI RadioAstron project launched a 10-m radio telescope in July 2011 and is performing successful observations since then; our department is involved in several of its Key Science Projects, e.g. leading the studies to image powerful AGN and to study their polarization structure at 10-50 microarcsecond resolution. Our group also organizes and operates the Global mm-VLBI Array (GMVA) providing high sensitivity global 3-mm imaging capabilities at up to 50 microarcsecond angular resolution, and is involved in the Event Horizon Telescope project, aiming at global VLBI at 1.3 mm and shorter wavelengths with the aim to image Black Holes. The VLBI group of the MPIfR is also active in and part of the ALMA Phasing Project, which aims at the inclusion of ALMA in future mm-VLBI.  The postdoctoral fellows is supposed to work in at least one of these research areas.

There are ample opportunities to cooperate with graduate students of the International Max Planck Research School at the MPIfR and to participate as lecturer in this program. Interested and qualified individuals are encouraged to apply by submitting curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a brief description of research interests and past experience plus three letters of recommendation sent to the department secretary, Ms Beate Naunheim (email or hardcopy) by December 1st, 2013.

Submission address:
Attn. Ms Beate Naunheim
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Auf dem Hügel 69
D-53123 Bonn, Germany
Tel. +49 228 525 298
bnaunheim@mpifr.de

Contact information for inquiries:
Prof. Dr. Eduardo Ros,
Tel. +49 228 525 125
ros@mpifr.de

Deadline: December 1st, 2013