Postdoctoral Fellow in Mars Atmospheric Science

United Arab Emirates University; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 60,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading public university in the UAE is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to focus on Mars atmospheric research as part of the Emirates Mars Mission. The successful candidate will engage in independent research, collaborate with students, and present at international conferences. A PhD in a relevant field is required along with excellent communication skills and a proactive attitude. Proficiency in data analysis tools such as Python or Matlab is preferred. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research in planetary science.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in Physics, Astronomy, Geoscience, Mathematics or related subject.
• PhD in Planetary Science, Atmospheric Science, or related fields required.

Responsibilities

• Pursue independent research on the Mars atmosphere.
• Engage university students through internships and mentoring.
• Present findings at international science conferences.

Skills

Excellent communication skills in English

Flexibility and proactive attitude

Strong conflict solving skills

Well-organized and self-motivated

Desire to contribute to cutting edge research

Education

PhD degree in Planetary Science or related field

Tools

Python

IDL

Fortran

Matlab

Job description

Job Description

The Department of Physics and College of Science in the UAE University (UAEU) in Al Ain, UAE seek a candidate to join its planetary science research as a postdoctoral fellow. His/her focus will be Mars atmospheric research in support of the exploration of scientific data from the ongoing Emirates Mars Mission (EMM, https://www.emiratesmarsmission.ae/). That includes the Mars upper atmosphere, connections between the Mars lower and upper atmosphere, and the space environment. A diversification of the research focus at a later stage is basically possible. The anticipated start date is as soon as possible. The EMM science phase is ongoing since 2021. EMM provides unprecedented satellite data of the Martian atmosphere and surface. EMM has science objectives on the Mars lower atmosphere, Mars upper atmosphere, and connections between the Mars lower and upper atmosphere. The postdoctoral fellow will focus on data from EMM, as the main source of information about the Mars atmosphere. Also, related space missions and mathematical models of the Mars atmosphere are relevant. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to pursue independent research on the Mars atmosphere and climate. In addition to ready-to-use data, that may include the use of Mars atmospheric models on UAEU’s supercomputing cluster. Based on that, the postdoctoral fellow will deliver presentations on international science conferences and author publications in top-ranking international science journals. Also, the postdoctoral fellow is expected to engage university students through internships and/or the mentoring of thesis projects, together with university professors. Willingness to collaborate with the interdisciplinary space science community in the UAEU is needed. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of tasks and responsibilities, and will be subject to periodic review by the Department of Physics. The Department of Physics in the UAEU The UAE University (UAEU) is the largest and highest-ranked public university in the UAE. The UAEU campus is in Al Ain, about 90 minutes’ drive from Abu Dhabi City and Dubai. The UAEU campus includes the Department of Physics in the College of Science. The Department of Physics is active in many research areas and teaching of university courses. It offers a BSc degree, MSc degree, and PhD degree in Physics and MSc degree in Space Science. Moreover, the UAEU has an interdisciplinary space science community.

Application instructions

To apply, please submit the following via UAE University’s jobs portal at https://jobs.uaeu.ac.ae/:

(1) Cover letter
(2) CV
(3) Publications list
(4) Contact details of two professional references.

Contact Info:
[e-mail]

Minimum Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in Physics, Astronomy, Geoscience, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer/Data Science, or a related subject. PhD degree in Planetary Science, Atmospheric and Climate Science, Physics, Astronomy, Geoscience, Remote Sensing, Mathematics, Computer/Data Science, or a closely related field.

Experience/Skills

Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and written. Flexibility and proactive attitude, communication, and conflict solving skills. To work independently and in a local group. To harmonize with a large project team. To do both remote sensing and modelling based work. Well-organized and self-motivated. Multitasking and deadline-oriented working. Desire to contribute to cutting edge research. Willingness to travel overseas if necessary.

Preferred Qualifications

Personal background in Planetary Science, Atmospheric Science, Spacecraft Remote Sensing, Climate Modelling, or similar. Proficiency in the analysis of big scientific data and related information and the use of relevant analysis toolboxes and programming codes (Python, IDL, Fortran, Matlab, etc.). A publication and conference record that compares favourably with others at a similar career stage.