Post-doctoral position offered to work at IAA/CSIC on NOMADACS-2 project

Jan 08, 2024

The Group of Terrestrial Planetary Atmospheres (gapt.iaa.es) of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA/CSIC) seeks to appoint a motivated post-doctoral researcher to work in its ongoing projects on the atmosphere of Mars. 

The IAA, located in Granada (Southern Spain) is a leading lab of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), with over 200 employees, and enjoys the national Severo Ochoa seal of distinction in research (www.ciencia.gob.es/en/Organismos-y-Centros/SOMMA.html). 

The successful candidate will join the NOMADACS-2 project, funded by the Spanish Plan Nacional del Espacio, and led by Miguel A. López-Valverde and Francisco González-Galindo, experts in upper atmosphere physics and modeling, remote sounding of planetary atmospheres, and co-Is of the experiments NOMAD and ACS on board the European Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and of the Mars Climate Database. 

The selected candidate will conduct research related to the analysis of fresh data from the TGO instruments NOMAD and ACS, and to their scientific interpretation with atmospheric climate models. Specifically the candidate is expected to focus on the distribution of species like H2O, CO and CO2 and their isotopes, the thermal structure of the upper atmosphere, and the validation of state-of-the-art models like the Mars Planetary Climate Model (Mars PCM) with these new data. Comparisons with other Mars missions like Maven, MRO and Mars Express are also expected. Interactions and collaborations with other TGO groups and the Mars PCM team are foreseen.

The successful candidate should hold a PhD in astronomy, physics, astrophysics, mathematics, computer science, or a closely related discipline. Non-Spanish native speaker candidates should also hold a certificate of B2 English level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The ideal candidate will be experienced in one or more of the following areas: aeronomy and radiative transfer simulations, remote sensing, inversion theory, physical modeling of atmospheres, atmospheric aerosols, parameterizations of atmospheric physics, observations of planetary atmospheres from ground, atmospheric dynamics, waves and turbulence, satellite data analysis. 

Candidates should send directly to valverde@iaa.es or ggalindo@iaa.es a brief statement of past and future research interests (3 pages maximum), CV and publication list, and 2 reference letters or contact details of two potential referees.
The position is initially offered for 1+1 years, with a 2nd extension contingent upon funding availability and performance. The application period is already open, and continue until the position is filled. This instance will be announced in the GAPT website gapt.iaa.es
 
 We welcome applications from qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, ethnic group, or nationality. Applications from underrepresented minorities are encouraged.

Please circulate this announcement among possible interested candidates.