Gaia Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
(MPIA) in Heidelberg (Reference number 10-10)
The Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) is seeking an ambitious, highly qualified postdoctoral
researcher to work on preparations for the analysis and scientific exploitation of the Gaia data. Gaia is
an ESA mission due for launch in 2012 which will undertake an astrometric, photometric and
spectroscopic survey of the Galaxy. The MPIA leads the international subconsortium responsible for
object classification and physical parameter estimation in this mission.
The successful candidate will develop methods for classifying and analyzing multivariate astronomical
data. The work involves: basic research into statistical and machine learning algorithms; software
development; application of classification algorithms to simulated and real data; analysis and
publication of scientific results. The researcher will dedicate 75% of his/her time to Gaia with the
remaining 25% available to work on related science projects. He/she will join the other members of the
Gaia group within the Galaxies and Cosmology Department at MPIA.
The MPIA has over 200 employees covering a broad range of astrophysical research, encompassing
large observing programs, ground-based and space-based instrument development and theoretical
modelling. The institute has privileged access to high performance supercomputing facilities and to
various observational facilities, including the twin 8.4m Large Binocular Telescope, the 2.2m MPG
telescope on La Silla and the Calar Alto 3.5 and 2.2m telescopes. The MPIA in addition has access to
all ESO facilities and is a major partner in the Pan-STARRS1 survey and in SDSS. For more
information see www.mpia.de and www.mpia.de/Gaia.
The applicant should have a PhD in astronomy, astrophysics or related field. Applicants must be able
to program (Java knowledge is an advantage but not essential) and should have some experience
with data processing, data mining and/or machine learning methods. The appointment will be for an
initial period of two years with a likely extension to a total of three years. The MPIA provides a
stimulating work environment and is well funded for publication, computing, travel, etc.
The starting date is expected to be no later than autumn 2011, but earlier dates are possible. For
further inquiries, please contact Coryn Bailer-Jones (calj@mpia.de).
Candidates should send a curriculum vitae, publication list, and a brief statement of research interest
by November 15, 2010, and arrange for three letters of reference to be provided separately by the
same date. All applications and references letters need to be submitted using our online application
system at:
https://lotus1.gwdg.de/mpg/mhas/gc-pd-10-10-in.nsf/portal?OpenPage
Candidates should first register with our online system to generate a registration code, which must be
sent to referees for letter submission. Please concatenate CV, publication list, and research statement
into a single PDF file.
Contact: Thu Huong Witte-Nguy
E-mail: witte@mpia.de
The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer. Applications from women, disabled people
and minority groups are particularly welcome. The MPIA supports its employees in their search for
suitable child care.
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Koenigstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany