IAC postdoctoral position
ANISOTROPIES III 2008 project

The IAC (Tenerife, Spain), a leading Astrophysical Center in Spain, invites applications for ONE postdoctoral research within the framework of the Project entitled: "Determination of Anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background: Science with Planck and development of new polarization experiments" (AYA2007-68058-C03-01, P.I. R. Rebolo), financed by the Spanish National Programme of Astronomy & Astrophysics (National Plan of Research & Development).

The successful candidate will join the cosmic microwave background group at the IAC (see: http://www.iac.es/project/cmb) and actively participate in the processing, analysis and interpretation of the data obtained by the QUIJOTE CMB Experiment (http://www.iac.es/project/cmb/quijote ), with special emphasis on the calibration and map-making areas. He/she will also participate in the analysis of the data obtained by other ground-based CMB experiments developed by the IAC/ CMB group, and in particular will act as interface in the study of the scientific impact of the combination of the QUIJOTE and Planck data.

Research topics at the IAC include most areas of astrophysics: cosmology and the structure of the Universe, galactic astrophysics, the structure and evolution of stars, the interstellar medium, solar physics, telescope design and construction, high spatial resolution techniques, infrared and optical instrumentation, and astronomical space projects. The IAC also leads the scientific teams responsible for the Day One instruments of the 10.4m GTC segmented telescope (http://www.gtc.iac.es), as well as their scientific exploitation. Further information about the IAC's research programme, its Observatories and the GTC is available on the IAC's Web page (http://www.iac.es/).

Tasks:

The successful candidate will work within the framework of the QUIJOTE CMB Experiment and Planck space mission.

Some of the specific tasks will be:

• To obtain an accurate calibration (both in intensity and in polarization) of the QUIJOTE CMB Experiment.
• To characterize the systematic effects in the polarization data of the QUIJOTE Experiment.
• To develop and apply an optimized map-making procedure for the QUIJOTE data.
• To measure the polarization angular power spectrum of the CMB from the QUIJOTE data. To this end, the candidate will have to contribute to the data processing of the QUIJOTE CMB Experiment.
• To study and characterize the presence of galactic and extragalactic foregrounds in the QUIJOTE data.
• Perform a detailed study of the scientific impact of the combination of QUIJOTE and PLANCK data.

Points which will be valued:

Highly valued will be the experience in the development, operation and data analysis of  CMB experiments, as well as the experience with statistical techniques aiming to extract  cosmological implications.  Be conversant with programming and scripting languages: IDL, Fortran, C, etc.

NOTE: Applicants who prepared their thesis at the IAC must present written evidence of having spent one continuous year, or 18 accumulated months, in other research institutes.

Duration:  Until 30th November 2011, with yearly revisions.

Remuneration: The gross annual salary is 33.422,54 € per annum, subject to up to 20% tax and Social Security deductions. Medical insurance under the Spanish National Health Service will be provided, and will also cover your accompanying partner and children (if relevant).

Non-UE citizens: If you are citizen of a country not belonging to the European Union, you are not allowed to sign any contract with the IAC until you obtain the compulsory documentation required to live and work in Spain (Visa, Residence Permit, Work Permit Waiver). Please contact the Spanish consulate in your country for details.

Compulsory documentation to submit:

• The Application Form: WORD or PDF;
• Curriculum Vitae, bibliography, brief statement of research interests, and a covering letter telling us about the skills you can bring to the job;
• A photocopy of your PhD Degree or certificate;
• At least two letters of recommendation must be sent (electronic submission preferred); directly by researchers or professionals familiar with your work, to the Secretariat of the IAC's Research Division: secinv@iac.es

Applications must be sent, electronic submission preferred, to the Secretariat of the Research Division, secinv@iac.es.  Applications may also be sent by post, however, applications received after the deadline cannot be accepted, unless they are post-stamped, on the application form, by the postal office, before the deadline.  Please note that the stamp on the envelope is not valid. Postal address: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, C/ Via Láctea s/n, E-38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. Questions about the position are encouraged and can be addressed to Prof. Rafael Rebolo: rrl at iac.es and Dr. José Alberto Rubiño-Martin: jalberto at iac.es Details of the evaluation and selection process for this position can be found in the official announcement (Spanish version only).