Predoctoral Research Opportunity

Spectroscopic Characterization of Exoplanets and their Host Stars  

Qualifications Required: Predoctoral students are expected to be enrolled in a Ph.D. granting graduate program and in good academic standing, having completed the required institutional coursework and qualifying examinations, or pending completion of such. Throughout the duration of the predoctoral program, the student will remain enrolled at the home institution and will graduate with the Ph.D. degree from that institution. Students must have approval from their home institution before initiation of the application process.

Position Term: Begins in 2013 with an initial appointment for 2 years with extension to 3 years if required and satisfactory progress is made.

Compensation: Lowell Observatory will pay a competitive student salary with full health benefits. Moving expenses and research funds for conferences and publications will also be provided.

To Apply: Applicants should see http://www2.lowell.edu/rsch/predoc.php for more information about the Lowell Predoctoral Program and application procedures. Specific inquiries regarding this topic should be sent to directly to Dr. Shkolnik at shkolnik [AT] lowell.edu. Lowell Observatory is an equal opportunity provider and employer and prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital and family status.

Lowell Observatory’s Predoctoral Fellowship Program enables graduate students from universities anywhere in the world to come to picturesque Flagstaff, Arizona and work with Lowell astronomers on PhD dissertation research.

This project will focus on the characterization of stars and their known exoplanets, through the study of tidal and magnetic star-planet interactions. The research will involve observations of stellar activity and the resulting effects on the planet using photometry and spectroscopy from both ground- and spaced-based telescopes. The student will work on data collected from some of the worlds biggest and best telescopes, including the Keck Telescopes, the Magellan Telescopes, the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope, as well as the Hubble and GALEX space telescopes. The student will also have unparalleled access to Lowell’s new 4.3-m Discovery Channel Telescope.