Deadline: April 30, 2018

The Origins in Cosmology and Astrophysics (OrCA) group at the University of Liege (Belgium) invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher position to participate to the TRAPPIST project. TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescopes) consists in a network of two 60cm robotic telescopes, one in Chile and one in Morocco, used by the OrCA researchers to contribute to the fields of astrobiology and planetology through two complementary approaches: the photometric detection and characterization of exoplanets transiting nearby stars (PI: Michael Gillon), and the photometric study of small bodies of our solar system (PI: Emmanuel Jehin).

Under the supervision of Michael Gillon, the successful applicant will take in charge the photometric followup of transiting exoplanet candidates found by the NASA TESS mission (target selection, coordination with TESS team, data analysis, scientific inference). In addition, she/he will contribute to the optimization of the TRAPPIST experiment (e.g. scheduling, database management, operations, data reduction). Applicants are also welcome to discuss new emphases that they would bring to the TRAPPIST project.

The successful applicant can allocate up to 50% of her/his time to work on independent research programs. Of particular interest are candidates whose research interests are closely related to the exoplanet/solar system programs conducted in the OrCA team. The start date is flexible, but should happen before July 1st 2018.

The successful application should have obtained a Ph. D. in astronomy or a related field at most 6 years before the start date. Qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to species, race, creed, color, age, gender, national or planetary origin. Appointment is for 2 years. Applicants should submit a CV, publication list, statement of current and future research interests, and names of 3 references.

The deadline for applications is April 30, 2018. Applications should be sent as a single PDF to: Michael.gillon@uliege.be