General description

The Remote Worlds Lab offers one post-doctoral position to join our team at the Center for Astrobiology (CAB) in the campus of Villafranca del Castillo, located inside ESA premises in Madrid (ESAC). The successful postdoc will be involved in the actions related to the TEMPO project (Temporal Evolution and Metamorphosis of exoPlanets and their atmOspheres), granted by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Position

The postdoctoral position offered in this call includes a 50% of the time to be devoted to the TEMPO project tasks and 50% of the time devoted to projects lead by the successful applicant. It is expected that the members of the Remote Worlds Lab team are invited to participate in these projects lead by the applicant and help her/him in the development of such projects.

The tasks related to the TEMPO project will involve the study of transmission spectroscopy data of extrasolar planets around evolved and main sequence stars. Applicants are expected to have experience in observational data related to exoplanet atmospheres, analysis and extraction of transmission spectra, and good computational skills.

Requirenments

The following requirenments apply:

• Degree in science (Physics or Mathematics) from an official university
• PhD in Physics/Astrophysics** (with special focus in the study of exoplanet atmospheres)
• Experience in observational astronomy, specially in transmission spectroscopy data
• Computational skills (ability to code and develop analysis algorithms)
• Additional experience in other observational techniques like radial velocity will also be positively evaluated

** Researchers that are in the process of submitting and defending their PhDs are encouraged to apply as well.

Bennefits and conditions

Contract type

TS-FC2 (Titulado Superior Fuera de Convenio 2) from CSIC (the Spanish Research Council).

Salary

37,500 €/year (gross). This quantity can slightly vary according to official regulations. This translates into a gross monthly salary of around 3,100 €/month (12 stippens/year). Spanish taxes are usually around 20%-25% (depending on the individual conditions).

Workday load

40 hours/week

Tele-working

Possibility of tele-working from 1-3 days/week.

Time distribution

50% on TEMPO science and 50% on applicant's own projects

Starting date

Expected between May-June 2024 (this will depend on the hiring process and the need from the successful applicant to convalidate the Degree qualification in Spain)

Bennefits

Spanish social security includes a large number of bennefits in terms of health, unemployment, and other aspects.

The successful applicant will work at the Center for Astrobiology premisses located inside the European Space Agency (ESA) in Madrid (ESAC), located in Villafranca del Castillo, at aroun 30 km from Madrid city center and very close to small nearby towns like Villanueva de la Cañada, Majadahonda, Las Rozas or Villanueva del Pardillo. The facilities include gym and sport courts (including basketball, football, padel, tenis, etc.) and several other bennefits.

The Center for Astrobiology (CAB) is a mixed research center of the CSIC and INTA. Created in 1999, it was the first center in the world dedicated specifically to astrobiology research and the first non-US center associated with the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), currently the NASA Astrobiology Program (NAP). It is a multidisciplinary center whose main objective is to study the origin, presence and influence of life in the universe. The Astrobiology Center was distinguished in 2017 by the Ministry of Science and Innovation as a “María de Maeztu” Unit of Excellence. CAB has led the development of the REMS, TWINS, and MEDA instruments, all of which have been operational on Mars since August 2012, November 2018, and February 2021, respectively; as well as the science of the RLS Raman instrument from ESA's ExoMars mission. In addition, the center develops the SOLID instrument, intended for the search for life in planetary exploration. The CAB also participates in different missions +and instruments of great astrobiological relevance, such as CARMENES, CHEOPS, PLATO, BepiColombo, DART, Hera, the MIRI and NIRSpec instruments in JWST and the HARMONI instrument in ESO's ELT.

How to apply

Interested applicants must send the following documents to this email address with the subject "Postdoctoral Position (TEMPO)":

Curriculm Vitae (CV)

Updated CV in free format, including a list of publications (or a link to an ADS library summarizing the applicant's publications) and specifying the computational skills.

Motivation Letter

A one-page document in PDF including basic ideas on the expected own projects to develop along the contract (50% of the time) and motivation to work with us. It is also encouraged to include the full names and institutions of 1-2 researchers that we could contact in case necessary.

** Deadline for applications: 25-March-2024 at 23:59 CET **

Selection process

The selection process will consist on the following steps:

Step 1. Application

See the "How to apply" section above. Deadline: 25-March-2024 at 23:59 CET

Step 2. Interview

To be scheduled between 26-March and 10-April

Step 3. Evaluation

The application and interview will be evaluated and the succesful applicant will be notified by no later than 12-April

Step 4. Hiring process

The hiring process will imply that the successful candidate is registered in the CSIC Job Bank. To that end, the degree title will need to be translated, apostilled, and convalidated to the Spanish equivalent (the request and payment of the taxes are sufficient). Specific instruction on how to do all this process will be provided to the succesful applicant. We will provide all the help needed to complete the process. Expected time of the contract sign: May-June 2024.