Vacancy: Post-Doc for Mesospheric Ozone Research / deadline 31st Jul

Postdoctoral position in the Thule Institute’s project “ Mesospheric of Monitoring Ozone” (until end of 2020)

The University of Oulu in Northern Finland, with approximately 16,000 students and 3,000 employees, is an international, multidisciplinary research university with a rich pool of creative and intellectual talent. The strengths of the University include broad, multidisciplinary research interests, a modern research and study environment, and wide cooperation with international research and educational institutes.

The Thule Institute is a strategic focus area unit which promotes multidisciplinary research and innovations through high-quality research projects and doctoral training. The position is a part of the Thule Institute’s new projects centred on the two out of five thematic focus areas of the university: "Creating sustainability through materials and systems" and "Earth and near-space system and environmental change."

The postdoctoral position is open at Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory in the project "Mesospheric Monitoring of Ozone above the Polar Vortex (MeMO)."

Note: the deadline for applying is extended until 31st July 2017 (use link "apply for the job" at the end of the full announcement).

Salary

The salary will be based on the levels 5 – 6 of the demand level chart for university-level teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (maximum of 46.3 % of the job-specific component). The salary is thus in practice roughly 3,500€– 4,000€ per month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

Application Procedure

The following documents must be attached to the application:

1. Brief curriculum vitae in English
2. List of publications in international peer-reviewed journals
3. Brief description of research merits
4. Brief (1–2 pages) research and action plan in English
5. Contact information of two or three (2–3) persons who may be asked to give a statement about the candidate

Applications, together with all relevant enclosures, should be submitted using the link "apply for the job" at the end of the full announcement by 31st July 2017.

Ozone Receiver Antenna at Sodankylä.

Project Description

Mesospheric Monitoring of Ozone above the Polar Vortex (MeMO)

The project uses standard TV satellite receivers to monitor the 11.07 GHz emissions of mesospheric ozone, a method pioneered by MIT’s Haystack Observatory. The project will build improved, multi-channel instruments, one of which will monitor the mesosphere above Sodankylä. Others will measure the ozone above the polar vortex and will be placed at schools as part of the scientific outreach of the project.

Using these data we will study the effects of energetic particle precipitation and sudden stratospheric warmings on ozone, as well as ozone climatology. A prototype receiver provides four years of initial data (since autumn 2012).

The position is located at Sodankylä and available immediately or later as per mutual agreement.

Research group: Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory is a highly versatile geophysical observatory north of the Arctic Circle operating various types of measurements at over 20 locations. Measurements of the geomagnetic field as well as radio observations of the upper atmosphere are at the core of SGO’s operations. Within the CHAMOS project, SGO and FMI develop the Sodankylä Ion-Neutral Chemistry (SIC) model for interpreting space weather effects on the lower ionosphere.

Colocated with SGO is the Arctic Research Centre of the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI-ARC), which provides a wealth of tropospheric and stratospheric measurements. The observations include ozone measurements using sounding balloons and ground-based spectrometers since the 1980s. FMI researchers are experts in satellite observations of the middle atmosphere.

MeMO is a collaboration between SGO and FMI-ARC, aiming to extend current ozone measurements in altitude and spatial coverage and put them into context of other observations.

Qualification requirements: The successful candidate will have a background in atmospheric physics or chemistry and/or experience in the use of radiometers and/or experience in the use of atmospheric computer models. For the further development of the instrument, experience working with hardware and/or experience in a high-level programming language are highly beneficial. Excellent command of both spoken and written English are essential.

Contact: Dr Thomas Ulich, e-mail: thomas.ulich(at)sgo.fi, tel.: +358405490403.