Senior Operations Astronomer: VLBI & Single-Dish Research

SARAO; Krugersdorp; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

SARAO, located in Krugersdorp, South Africa, seeks an Operations Astronomer to join the VLBI team. The role involves operating the single dish and VLBI activities, conducting research, and supervising junior researchers.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in Physics or Astronomy, post-doctoral experience, and a track record of publications. Responsibilities include scheduling, calibration, instrumentation work, and mentoring students.

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics, Astronomy or related field.
• 3 years post-doctoral experience in observations in astronomy.
• Valid Driver’s License.
• Proven record of publications in refereed journals.
• Experience in reducing VLBI / single-dish data.
• Able to program in C / Python.

Responsibilities

• Scheduling daily VLBI and single-dish operations.
• Maintain calibration activities for the single dish.
• Test and integrate new instrumentation for VLBI systems.
• Supervise and mentor postgraduate students and researchers.
• Conduct scientific research and foster collaborations.
• Publish peer-reviewed articles and present in conferences.

Skills

Publications in refereed journals

Excellent communication

Fluent in English

Education

PhD in Physics, Astronomy or related field

Tools

VLBI data reduction

C/Python programming

Driver's license

Job description

SARAO, located in Krugersdorp, South Africa, seeks an Operations Astronomer to join the VLBI team. The role involves operating the single dish and VLBI activities, conducting research, and supervising junior researchers.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in Physics or Astronomy, post-doctoral experience, and a track record of publications. Responsibilities include scheduling, calibration, instrumentation work, and mentoring students.