Research Studentships at the Nordic Optical Telescope

General

The NOT Research Studentship programme enables students to spend extended periods at the NOT and take advantage of these opportunities. NOT students receive a monthly stipend to cover their living expenses on La Palma and may rent a room at a favourable rate in the NOT apartment, within walking distance from the Sea Level Office (see below). Students are free to pursue their thesis work during 75% of the time and are expected, in return for the financial support, to spend the remaining 25% introducing and assisting visiting astronomers in the use of the telescope and instruments, doing tests, writing software, or similar tasks.

Student projects, at the Ph.D. or M.Sc. level, may be in any field of observational astronomy, involving optical and near-infrared observations with the NOT, or they may concern related developments in optics, detectors and electronics, or in instrument control and data reduction software. Both astronomy and engineering students are supported under the programme.

NOT staff has given small scale classes to students on data reduction with IRAF and FIEStool, principles of detectors, Python programming and databases. The focus is always on NOT instruments/detectors and on the data received with NOT instrumentation. The students also have the possibility to go and visit the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) to see how observations are made with another telescope with different instruments.

The NOT staff on La Palma comprises about 18 astronomers, software and hardware engineers, technicians, students, and administrative staff with a versatile range of skills and an informal, family-style working environment. Most staff members divide their time between the telescope site at the mountaintop and the Sea Level Office (SLO) in the main town of Santa Cruz, one hour's drive from the observatory. The NOT offices have modern computing, data reduction, and communication facilities and access to a library, meeting rooms etc., in the SLO. The headquarters of the Isaac Newton Group are located in the same building. Joint seminars on scientific or technical subjects are organised, and the student groups have frequent professional and social contacts.

Eligibility, conditions, and application procedures

Qualifications

1. Be enrolled in a Ph.D. (preferred) or advanced MSc programme in astronomy or relevant technical discipline at a recognised university or similar institution awarding such degrees. Preference is given to students from the Nordic countries, and students from non-EU countries are only accepted under exceptional circumstances.
2. Have a strong interest in observational astrophysics and/or astronomical instrumentation, and preferably also a working knowledge of the UNIX operating system and one of the standard astronomical data reduction software packages.
3. Be capable and willing to work during day and night time, occasionally also on weekends or public holidays, at an altitude of 2400 metres above sea level, and to take up residence on La Palma for the duration of the Studentship.
4. Have a good working knowledge of English, the working language at the NOT; knowledge of Spanish is an advantage. A driving licence is normally required.

Conditions

1. The normal duration of a NOT Research Studentship is one year, with possible extension to 18 months. Studentships of shorter duration may be agreed. The number of Research Students at any one time may be limited by financial and space constraints.
2. Students are not employees of NOTSA, but receive a monthly stipend during their stay to defray the additional cost of living on La Palma. Support for travel to take up the studentship, any additional health insurance needed, and other financial conditions may be arranged from case to case.
3. The working week is 40 hours. The number of working days per month is 22 at sea level, or equivalently 12 days and nights per month at the ORM site. Weekend and night work does not attract over-time payment.
4. Students are entitled to rent a room in the NOT apartment, or to accommodation of similar quality and price.
5. When on duty at the ORM, transport up and down, accommodation, and one meal per day at ORM are provided by NOT.
6. Office space and appropriate computer facilities at the SLO are provided by NOT.
7. Like other staff, students work under the authority of the Deputy Director, who determines and coordinates the functional tasks to be performed during the 25% of their time. The rest of their time is free for work on their thesis project; a NOT staff member will be assigned to monitor their progress in cooperation with their thesis supervisor at their home institute.

How to apply

No specific application form is needed, but applications should specify the candidate's past and present experience, compliance with the above requirements, motivation for seeking to come to NOT (e.g. future education or career prospects), and any other information the candidate wishes to submit for consideration. A CV and an endorsement by the student's supervisor should be attached. 1-2 letters of reference from persons familiar with the student's work are welcome, but not required. Applications should be sent by e-mail or normal mail to both of the following addressees:

The Nordic Optical Telescope Scientific Association is operated jointly by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.