Job Description:

The Florida Space Institute (FSI) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) invites applications for a postdoctoral associate position to carry out research on the physical processes on the surface of small bodies such as asteroids. The successful candidate will be expected to investigate material and mechanical properties of asteroid simulants under relevant conditions. Research will be performed with various instrumentation at the Florida Space Institute and supplemental hardware may be developed to carry out experiments. Additionally, the successful candidate will perform numerical simulations of the behavior of granular material by adapting existing Discrete Element Model code, under guidance from our collaborator at the University of Colorado Boulder. Supervision of undergraduate research assistants and publishing research results in peer-reviewed journals is expected.

The position is expected to have a start date before November 2019 and is renewable annually for up to three years.

FSI is associated with the Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science (CLASS) and the Arecibo Observatory, providing exciting opportunities for collaboration and networking. The University of Central Florida is a thriving preeminent research university located in metropolitan Orlando. With more than 66,000 students, UCF is one of the largest universities in the U.S. The university benefits from a diverse faculty and staff who create a welcoming environment and opportunities for all students to grow, learn and succeed. We encourage you to learn more about UCF at https://www.ucf.edu/.

Minimum Qualifications:

A Ph.D. from an accredited institution in physics, astronomy, astrophysics, planetary sciences, or a related field is required.

Preferences:

Experience in the following is of interest:

• Hands-on experience in hardware design, manufacturing, and operation;

• Laboratory work with cryogenic samples;

• Mentoring of undergraduate students;

• One or more of the following coding languages: IDL, Python, C, C++, Fortran.

EEO Employer:

As an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, UCF encourages all qualified applicants to apply, including women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and members of traditionally underrepresented populations. UCF’s Equal Opportunity Statement can be viewed at: http://www.oie.ucf.edu/documents/PresidentsStatement.pdf. As a Florida public university, UCF makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request.

UCF requires all applications and supporting documents to be submitted electronically through the Human Resources website, at https://jobs.ucf.edu/cw/en-us/job/498004. In addition to the online application, interested candidates should upload a curriculum vitae and a brief description of prior research experience.

Additional Application Materials Required:

In addition to the online application, candidates must also submit:

1. Full curriculum vitae;

2. Cover letter describing their related experience;

3. Statement of research interests;

4. Names, addresses and emails of three people willing to write letters of recommendation

Questions may be directed to:

Dr. Julie Brisset, Associate Researcher

Florida Space Institute

[email protected]