4MOST - 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope
4-m Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope
4MOST

Seeking 4MOST deputy Project Scientists

by Joe Liske on 2022-09-05

A message from the Principal Investigator, Roelof de Jong, and the Project Scientists, Karin Lind and Jon Loveday:

The 4MOST Project seeks two deputy Project Scientists among our Project members to support the Project Scientists in their responsibilities.

The 4MOST science activities have been ramping up steadily in the past years and will continue doing so for the coming years. Especially the upcoming activities related to ESO’s Provisional Acceptance Europe review, the final survey preparation, and the commissioning, operations, and science verification will mean a very busy schedule for the coming two years.

Managing all these activities will be a too large a task for our two Project Scientists on their own and therefore we are seeking to fill two deputy Project Scientist positions in the 4MOST organisational structure, one galactic and one extra-galactic. The exact division of tasks will be defined between the current PSs and the new deputy PSs. The work split may allow the current PSs to concentrate on strategy and planning, while the deputy PSs could work on progress monitoring and managing smaller working groups for instance.

Job summary:
The 4MOST deputy Project Scientists support the Project Scientists in their 4MOST activities. As such they play a key role in building a collaborative culture in the 4MOST Science Team. They help reviewing the deliverables for the science team at each project milestone and maintaining the schedule to produce these deliverables. They support the Instrument Scientist and the Operations Manager and Scientist in the management and verification of requirements. They promote 4MOST science to the external science community to ensure a strong engagement of the community in 4MOST. They support the 4MOST PI in maintaining a long-term science vision for the 4MOST Project as required by the latest science developments.

Tasks:

  • support the Project Scientists in guiding to the science development effort of 4MOST
  • help building a collaborative Science Team by supporting the organising of meetings, setting up communication channels and engaging 4MOST members in activities
  • contribute to the reviewing of deliverables of the Science Team for each Project milestone
  • help maintain the schedule for the Science Team deliverables
  • review of documents and templates relevant to the management of the Science Team
  • support the Instrument Scientist in managing and verifying the 4MOST instrument requirements
  • support the Operations Manager in managing and verifying the 4MOST operations requirements
  • support the Operations Scientist and the Survey PIs in developing the optimal 4MOST survey strategy
  • support the Project Scientists in their science and public outreach activities by giving presentations, by organising meetings, and by writing publications

Selection criteria (not all necessarily required):

  • for the deputy Galactic Project Scientists: a good knowledge -including the recent literature- of stellar spectroscopy and analysis, and of models of the evolution of stars and stellar populations in and/or models of the formation and evolution of the Milky Way and its satellites that can be spectroscopically analysed with 4MOST, with preferably a publication track record in several of these areas
  • for the extragalactic deputy Project Scientist: a good knowledge -including the recent literature- of spectral analysis of galaxies and AGN, of deriving cosmological and galaxy/AGN parameters from redshift survey observations, of galaxy and AGN evolution models and of cosmological models, with preferably a publication track record in several of these areas.
  • experience with spectroscopic observations and data analysis
  • good communication skills
  • collaborative and inclusive mindset
  • time commitment (at least 20% of time, at peaks more, not funded by the Project)

Applications are reviewed by a selection panel that contains the 4MOST Project Scientists and is chaired by the 4MOST PI.

Beside the competence, motivation and availability of candidates, the selection committee will also pay attention to gender and diversity balance and implications for early career scientists. We encourage all interested individuals, including women and underrepresented minorities, to apply.

The 4MOST deputy Project Scientist position will normally allow one to qualify for a permanent 4MOST Science Team membership. Deputy Project Scientists qualify for co-authorship on all 4MOST publications relevant to their position.

The positions are foreseen to have a term for three years initially, with the possibility for renewal.

Application instructions:
Please send your applications (≤1 A4 page) with

  • a statement supporting your qualification, relevant background, and special considerations for the deputy Project Scientist position
  • a short vision on how you would implement your role as deputy Project Scientist
  • your commitment of time in your role as 4MOST deputy Project Scientist
  • a short CV (separate A4 page)

to the 4MOST PI (pi@4most.eu). The selection process will start 30 September 2022, and will continue until the positions are filled.