Operations Astronomer at NRF National Research Foundation

About the position

Postion Summary:
The main purpose of the this job is to operate the single dish and VLBI operations, conduct research and supervise junior researcher

Key Responsibilities:

• Scheduling daily single dish operation and maintaining calibration activities
• Single dish instrumentation and techniques by designing, testing and integrating the replacement spectral-line correlatorVLBI operations by assisting with both Astronomical (primarily) and Geodetic (secondarily) VLBI OperationsSupervision and training post-graduate Astronomy Students and post-doctoral researchers
• Conduct Scientific research and foster scientific collaboration
• Publish peer-reviewed articles and publish and present in a non-peer reviewed environment

Minimum Qualification:

• Doctoral Degree / NQF 10

Minimum Experience:

• 3-3 years

• PhD in Physics, Astronomy or related field3 years ‘post-doctoral experience in observations in astronomy
• Proven record of publications in refereed journals
• Experience in reducing VLBI / single-disk data
• Able to program in C / Python
• Extensive IT skills

Experience:

• Lecturing experience
• Good communication skillsFluent in English

Knowledge:

• Radio telescope operations experience
• Astronomy software development experience
• Astronomy publication record
• Lecturing experience
• Good communication skillsFluent in English

Additional Notes:
Attention to detailPlanning and organisingScientific writingThe NRF website provides more details on the initiatives and activities Applicants should submit a comprehensive CV by registering and apply online through the NRF Recruitment and Selection Portal. Applications should be accompanied by a letter of motivation indicating the applicant·s suitability for the position. The names and contact details of at least three referees should be provided.

Desired Skills:

• Skilled in applied field of position
• Knowledge to be relevant
• Responsible in performing duties

About The Employer:

The National Research Foundation (NRF) supports and promotes research and human capital development through funding, the provision of National Research Facilities and science outreach platforms and programmes to the broader community in all fields of science and technology, including natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities. The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) spearheads South Africa's activities in the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope, commonly known as the SKA, in engineering, science and construction. SARAO is a National Facility managed by the National Research Foundation and incorporates radio astronomy instruments and programmes such as the MeerKAT and KAT-7 telescopes in the Karoo, the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) in Gauteng, the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (AVN) programme in nine African countries as well as the associated human capital development and commercialisation endeavours.