19.09.2016. The Astronomy Group of the Physics and Astronomy Department at the Universidad de La Serena, Chile, announces three professor positions in Astronomy and Astrophysics, which are open to researchers in all areas of Astronomy.

It is expected that successful candidates will supervise undergraduate and graduate students and teach in Spanish at these levels, including in the new PhD Program in Astronomy which is planned to start in March 2017. In addition, it is expected that selected candidates lead competitive research projects and engage in university service activities, including outreach programs. Applicants must have obtained a Ph.D. in Astronomy (or a closely related field) and they should demonstrate commitment to excellence in independent research and teaching. The successful applicants will have access to 10% of observing time on all existing and future telescopes in Chile, including VLT, Gemini-South, CTIO, LCO Magellan, APEX, ALMA, LSST, GMT, and E-ELT. In addition, our Group participates in the APOGEE-2 Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV.

Universidad de La Serena, which is located in a beautiful and touristic coastal city, is the most important Chilean public university in Northern Chile, surrounded by large international observatories such as LCO, CTIO, Gemini South, SOAR, and some of the biggest astronomical projects in the world for the next decade, such as LSST and GMT. The Astronomy Group, in a state of vigorous expansion, includes six professors, and seven postdocs and research assistants carrying out research in Stellar Astrophysics, and Galactic and Extragalactic Astronomy, using a large variety of observational data in different wavelength regimes. Strong undergraduate and graduate programs exist, including about 40 undergraduate and 10 graduate students.

The salary of the position is highly competitive according to local standards. In addition, a productivity incentive can be considered. The successful candidates are expected to start their duties between November 2016 and March 2017.

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests, and have three letters of reference sent, to the Director of the Astronomy Group, Dr. Rodolfo Barba (rbarba@userena.cl [2] with copy to job.register@dfuls.cl [3]) by October 15th. Further information about the Astronomy Group at ULS can be found at http://astro.userena.cl [1].