Call of Opportunity to work at the French-Chilean Laboratory for Astronomy in Chile
The French Chilean Laboratory for Astronomy, located in Chile, is an International Research Laboratory (IRL 3386) between the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and three major Chilean universities (Universidad de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Universidad de Concepción) with the goal to promote and forge fruitful long-term collaborations between France and Chile in the field of Astronomy. More than ever, Chile has become a major international center for ground-based astronomy, with the presence of major observatories (e.g. ESO, Las Campanas, Gemini, ALMA) and the development of new facilities on its territory (LSST, CTA, GMT, E-ELT). Given the strong scientific and human connection between France and Chile for several decades, the Lab plays a central role to nurture this collaborative endeavor between both countries.
Download pdf here.
This Call of Opportunity includes the possibility to work at the French-Chilean Laboratory for Astronomy (FCLA) in Chile. Long-term positions are open for a minimum stay of 1 year and up to 3 years.
[Applications for shorter stays (typically 1-3 months and < 1 year) should be done through FCLA's visiting programme. Please visit https://www.fcla.cl/working-at-fcla-and-visiting]
Fields of Research:
The research that has been and is being carried out at the FCLA concerns a wide range of topics in astronomy and astrophysics, ranging from the study of meteors to the high redshift Universe and reflecting the diverse fields covered by researchers in the three participating Chilean universities.
The French researchers transferred to FCLA work in collaboration with Chilean astronomers. They use a versatile set of optical/near-infrared and radio-millimetric instrumentations of ground-based observatories in Chile, dedicated numerical codes and computing resources, to achieve breakthrough results.
FCLA members and support:
In addition to the professors and students of the three Chilean universities, the Lab counts on the presence of permanent French FCLA Researchers (provided through this call), and on the existence of a visiting program to promote and support French and Chilean students and researchers for shorter term stays and internships. Up to a maximum of four French permanent FCLA researchers can be based in Chile at any given time. They must be based at the Department of Astronomy of the Universidad de Chile (in Santiago), the Universidad de Concepción (in Concepción) or at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (in Santiago).
Benefits
Research funds are available for each French FCLA Researcher (8k€/year).
The three Chilean universities have many undergraduate and graduate students, making a stay at FCLA an excellent opportunity to initiate co-supervised international PhDs. CNRS has a dedicated policy to support such PhD students through a yearly invitation to apply to.
Telescope time. French researchers keep their European affiliation when applying as PI for observing time on telescopes in Chile. However, they do have access to Chilean Time as “visiting researchers” as long as they collaborate with Chilean colleagues, which we strongly encourage. See eligibility details on https://sochias.cl/tiempo-de-observacion/reglas-de-eligibilidad/ (webpage in Spanish).
French researchers benefit from generous expatriation compensation and relocation support.
Conditions for joining the FCLA: Applicants must hold a permanent position in France, either CNRS, Observatories, or Universities. The successful applicants will be transferred to the FCLA by their respective employers. Candidates must inquire to their home institution about the feasibility and applicable conditions for the transfer before applying to the positions.
Applications: The application must be prepared together with a Chilean researcher of one of the three Chilean universities of FCLA. Application should include a joint research statement, a plan for on-going and foreseen research collaborations in Chile, and brief CVs. The application must be submitted on behalf of the candidate and of the hosting researcher. Applications to go to any of the three member Universities of the FCLA will be considered. Applications from all fields of investigations in astronomy, observational or theoretical, are welcomed.
Information about Astronomy at the three Universities can be found here:
for PUC: http://www.astro.puc.cl, Felipe Barrientos <barrientos@astro.puc.cl>
for UChile: http://www.das.uchile.cl, Ricardo Muñoz <rmunoz@das.uchile.cl>
for UdeC: http://www.astro.udec.cl, Sandro Villanova <svillanova@astro-udec.cl>
Applications are received and evaluated on regular basis. They should be sent to CNRS/INSU (Attn Céline Reylé, celine.reyle@cnrs.fr)
For more information, please contact Pierre Kervella, Deputy Director of FCLA (pierre.kervella@obspm.fr).
We strongly encourage initial contact before applying.