Leiden Observatory invites applications for the Oort Postdoctoral Fellowship 2020.

The Oort Fellowship supports outstanding postdoctoral researchers who are working in any area of astronomy in which Leiden Observatory is active. The research may be observational, theoretical, or instrumental. The fellowship is open to all nationalities. Candidates should have a proven record of excellence in research.

Oort Fellows have the freedom to pursue their own research and will be provided with generous funding for travel and computing.

Leiden Observatory is the oldest university astronomy department in the world, and the largest astronomy department in the Netherlands. Leiden is a charming university town with international flair.

The fellowship will be tenable for three years, subject to a review during the second year. The position comes with a competitive salary and full benefits. The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. by the starting date.

Applications should be submitted electronically at https://jobs.strw.leidenuniv.nl/2021/OortPD1/ by November 26, 2021. You will be asked to provide contact information for three referees, and upload a cover letter (limited to 1 page), a curriculum vitae, a publication list, a summary of past research (limited to 1 page total, excluding references), and a research proposal (limited to 2 pages total, excluding references). In the cover letter mention your sponsor and any other possible collaboration within the department, and/or the Faculty of Science. Additionally, state if you have any other academic talents (beyond research skills) that would benefit the department.

In addition to the general Oort Fellowship there is an X-ray focussed Oort Fellowship. This Fellowship supports postdoctoral researchers who are working in the field of X-ray astronomy specifically. The applicant is expected to establish scientific collaborations with SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (https://www.sron.nl) which is located on the same grounds as Leiden Observatory. SRON is closely involved in current and upcoming X-ray space missions such as Athena and XRISM. The proposed research could involve observations, numerical simulations, theory, and/or instrumentation. Application can be submitted at https://jobs.strw.leidenuniv.nl/2021/OortPD2 (the same instructions apply as the general Oort Fellowship).