The Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar—Employee in the field of very-high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics for work on VERITAS and CTA. The successful candidate will be expected to become actively involved in the design and testing of instrumentation for CTA and also to participate in the data analysis and ongoing operation of VERITAS.
VERITAS is a state-of-art imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Amado, Arizona, near Tucson. The Santa Cruz group has been engaged in the studies of active galaxies and gamma-ray bursts, but our interests are not confined to these topics. We are fully involved in the operations of VERITAS and made important contributions to the recent upgrade of the cameras. We have been particularly active exploiting the synergy between VERITAS observations and data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which also has a leading group at UCSC.
UCSC is a founding member of the US group participating in CTA as part of a worldwide effort to develop the next generation array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes to study very-high-energy gamma-ray sources. The SCIPP group is a leader in the evaluation of cutting-edge focal plane sensors for the telescope cameras and is also simulating aspects of the telescope performance critical to the design.
SCIPP groups maintain a diverse and active research program in particle astrophysics and particle physics. Close ties with the Departments of Physics and Astronomy and with the University of California Observatories contribute to a stimulating academic and research environment.

SALARY: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Ph.D. or equivalent degree in experimental astrophysics, particle physics, or astronomy.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Experience analyzing high-energy astrophysics or particle physics data, especially very-high-energy gamma-ray data. Experience or a strong interest in instrumentation for detecting high-energy particles. Familiarity with the astrophysics of extragalactic gamma-ray sources.
POSITION AVAILABLE: Summer 2013
TERM OF APPOINTMENT: This is a one-year appointment with the possibility of reappointment up to five years. Reappointment is contingent upon availability of funding and will include an annual review. Per University of California policy, the total duration of an individual’s postdoctoral service may not exceed five years, including postdoctoral service at other institutions. Under certain circumstances, a sixth year may be considered.
TO APPLY: Electronic submissions are preferred. Please send curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests, a list of publications, and three letters of reference* to:

Professor David Williams
daw@ucsc.edu
c/o Ms. Mykell Discipulo
 
Please refer to position #T13-33 in all correspondence

SCIPP – Natural Sciences II
University of California
Santa Cruz, CA 95064

*All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. For any reference letter provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service, career center), direct the author to UCSC’s confidentiality statement at http://apo.ucsc.edu/confstm.html.
CLOSING DATE: For full consideration, materials should be received by June 1, 2013.
 
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The very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray group at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) has an opening for a post-doctoral research position. The position is for two years, with the possibility of an extension.  The successful candidate will be based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and will work with Dr. Wystan Benbow on a program to study emission from AGN, Starburst Galaxies and other extragalactic objects.  These experimental studies will primarily involve the VERITAS array of atmospheric-Cherenkov telescopes, for which Dr. Benbow is the Project Scientist.  Close collaboration with other members of the SAO VHE group, and within the CfA community is expected.

The successful candidate will join the VERITAS collaboration and will work on VERITAS data reduction, relevant science analysis and interpretation, and participate in writing observing proposals.  The research efforts will also require reducing multi-wavelength data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the optical telescopes at the Whipple Observatory, as well as from various X-ray satellites (primarily Swift).  Applicants should have a Ph.D. in physics, astrophysics or astronomy, an aptitude for instrumentation and observation, experience in cluster computing and data analysis, and the enthusiasm to take advantage of facilities that are at the cutting edge of astrophysics research. For further details, please contact Dr. Benbow (wbenbow@cfa.harvard.edu; (+1) 617-496-7597)

The position is available immediately, with a preferred start date before September 2013.  Interested applicants should send a Curriculum Vitae, a short statement of research interests and contact details of up to three references to Dr. Benbow.