Dear All, We have a number of postdoctoral positions open at UCB working on the Breakthrough Listen Initiative (http://breakthroughinitiatives.org), and we would be very interested to hear from folks with expertise in CASPER instrumentation. This position has a flexible start date and will be open until June, but we encourage applicants to submit materials as early as possible.
Happy Holidays! Andrew The Department of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley seeks applications for three Postdoctoral - Employees in the area of radio-wave astrophysics and/or high speed digital signal analysis, at 100% time, with an expected start date of December 1, 2015, which is flexible. This position will allow up to 50% time to be spent on personal research and 50% in support of the science operations of the “Breakthrough Listen Initiative”. As part of the College of Letters and Science, the Department of Astronomy offers undergraduate and graduate instruction in a wide variety of fields, including theoretical and observational astrophysics; infrared, optical, and radio astronomy; galactic structure and dynamics of stellar systems; high-energy astrophysics and cosmology; and spectroscopy. On July 13, 2015, UC Berkeley signed a contract with the Breakthrough Prize Foundation to carry out a major new research program called the “Breakthrough Listen Initiative”. The work involves designing and constructing new high speed, digital electronics and novel signal processing software, able to interpret signals at billions of bytes per second, i.e. GHz speeds. The work also involves deploying, testing, and operating these electronics and software at two of the world’s largest radio telescopes, Green Bank and Parkes. The research involves searching for radio signals from technological civilizations in the universe. The same observations can be used to detect and study astrophysical objects that emit between 100 MHz and 10 GHz. The research will also involve use of optical telescopes at the Lick Observatory to search for optical, laser emission from non- natural sources. The incumbent will be expected to serve as a key scientist of the Breakthrough Listen Initiative, including helping with the development of unprecedented, novel instrumentation, algorithms, and observing techniques at GHz bandwidths. Incumbent will also interact with staff engineers with regards to the science requirements stipulated by the Breakthrough Listen Initiative, monitor project milestones, and ensure that necessary capabilities are in place to execute the Breakthrough Listen Initiative science program. Other opportunities include establishing collaborations with scientists at UC Berkeley and other institutions. The incumbent will design and execute observing strategies and signal analysis methodology for the Breakthrough Listen Initiative, including target selection, interference mitigation, and statistical analysis. The incumbent will have opportunities to use the Green Bank and Parkes radio telescopes and the Lick Observatory Automated Planet Finder telescope to carry out their own research. The incumbent will also have opportunities to engage with the diverse scientific community at UC Berkeley and supervise the work of students and junior scientists. Basic qualifications: A PhD or equivalent degree in Astronomy, Astrophysics, or related field is required at time of application. Preferred qualifications: (By the time of application) • Experience with radio-waves astrophysics, high-speed digital signal processing, signal detection in the time or frequency domain. • Publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals in radio-wave astrophysics and search algorithm design and research. Salary and Benefits: Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualification based on classification $55,000 - $65,000. Apply at https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00813
