Postdoctoral fellows in space physics/atmospheric electricity at the Birkeland Centre for Space Science (BCSS)

The Department of Physics and Technology has from 1 January 2015 two vacant positions for postdoctoral fellows in space physics/atmospheric electricity. The positions will be part of the Birkeland Centre for Space Science (BCSS).

The postdoctoral fellowship is a fixed term position; the chief objective being to qualify the selected candidate for work in senior positions in his/her discipline. The position is for a fixed term of 4 years.

Description

BCSS is organized in two instrumentation groups, one education and public outreach group and four research groups that will address the following questions:

1) When and why is the aurora in the two hemispheres asymmetric?
2) How do we get beyond the static large scale picture of the ionosphere?
3) What are the effects of particle precipitation on the atmospheric system?
4) What is the role of energetic particles from thunderstorms in geospace?

Both postdoctoral fellows will be part of the Q4 group. The first 5 years this group is mainly funded and related to a European Research Council Advanced Grant project - TGF-MEPPA. This group explores how relativistic particles and gamma-rays are produced in the strong electric fields of thunderclouds, the so-called terrestrial gamma-ray flashes. Measurements of gamma-ray flashes, weather data, radio waves as well as modeling are used to understand and explain these phenomena. The instrumentation group of BCSS is developing instrumentation to measure terrestrial gamma-ray flashes from the international space station, from balloon and aircraft.

Nr of positions available : 2

Research Fields

Physics - Other
Technology - Space technology

Career Stage

Experienced researcher or 4-10 yrs (Post-Doc)

Research Profiles

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Benefits

• a good and professionally challenging working environment
• starting salary at pay grade 57 in the Civil Service pay grade table (code 1352).
Further increases will be made according to length of service in the position.
• good welfare benefits