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Job Opportunities

The High-Energy Astrophysics Group of the University of Liège (Belgium) is offering a postdoctoral position to participate in the development of algorithms and software for the data processing concerning the ESA cornerstone mission Gaia. Gaia, expected to be launched in 2011, will perform an all-sky survey providing astrometry and photometry for about one billion stars, and spectroscopy for a subsample. This implies a huge data processing leading to the provisional catalogues. The Liège team is involved in the large consortium responsible for the data processing for this important mission.

The successful applicant will be expected to take responsibilities in the conception of algorithms and of the related softwares dealing with the orbital solutions for spectroscopic binary systems, with the measurements of radial velocities on the basis of Gaia spectra as well as with investigations on the possibility to perform radial velocity measurements from multiple spectra by cross-correlation with templates. The official programming language for Gaia is Java. The applicant should have a PhD in astronomy, or equivalent. Programming skill is of course requested; knowledge of Java is not a prerequisite but will be an advantage. The postdoc will benefit from the partial support of a Java expert. The successful candidate is expected to collaborate with other members of the team and to foster the researches currently performed by the team. Corresponding keywords would be: massive stars (O, Wolf-Rayet,... massive binaries, orbital motions, winds and colliding-wind objects, optical spectroscopy and variability, X-ray spectroscopy of massive stars.

The appointment is for one year with a possible extension for a second one. The starting date will be around November 1st 2007 or a little earlier. The salary is on the official Belgian public employee pay scale.

Interested persons should send, before October 1st, 2007, their application materials including a curriculum vitae, a summary (one page max.) of past and current research activities, a motivated interest and a full publication list by mail to:

Eric Gosset / Grégor Rauw,
Institut d'Astrophysique et de Géophysique,
Université de Liège, Allée du 6 août, 17 - Bât. B5c,
B-4000 Liège, Belgique.

For any further inquiry, e-mail : gosset AT astro.ulg.ac.be


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