The IAC (Tenerife) announces ONE postdoctoral contract to work on the Spanish High Performance Computing (HPC) Competence Center, a node of an european-wide collaboration, led by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and coordinated at the IAC by Dr. Carlos Allende Prieto, with the goals of innovating and widening the HPC use and skills base.

Tasks: The successful candidate will:

• Support research relying on HPC at the IAC.
• Support use and access to HPC to local universities and research institutions with limited resources.
• Educate researchers on the use of the supercomputing resources available: parallel and distributed computing, parallel programming (MPI, OpenMP), advanced programming and code optimization, GPU, and Cloud Computing.
• Reach out to small and medium-size companies interested in taking advantage of HPC.

Applicants are expected to have experience in the field of HPC, and in particular to possess

• Excellent knowledge of parallel programming (MPI, OpenMP) in Fortran and/or C.
• Proficiency with parallel programming tools (resource managers, debuggers, profilers, HPC visualization).
• Familiarity with scripting languages (Unix-shell, Python, etc.) and Linux system administration.
• Interest and desire in expanding their knowledge in those areas in which they are less experienced.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision and as part of a small and dynamic team.
• High motivation in assisting and providing support to HPC users.
• Fluency in English.

Requirements: Candidates must have experience in research, and a publication record commensurate with their career stage. They must be in possession of a Ph.D. degree in Astrophysics, Physics, Math, Computational Science, or Engineering by the application deadline: candidates who have not received their doctorate before the deadline will be not be admitted to the selection process. The IAC is an equal-opportunity employer. We encourage, in particular, applications by women and minorities.

Research topics at the IAC include most areas of astrophysics: solar physics, planetary systems, stellar and interstellar physics, galactic formation and evolution, and cosmology and astroparticles. These research lines are supported by an ambitious instrumentation program. In 2020, the IAC was granted by the Spanish Government the status of Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence, a prestigious recognition awarded for the third time to the IAC as a leading research institute in Spain. Further information about the IAC's research programme, its Observatories and the 10.4m GTC is available at the IAC's web page (https://www.iac.es/).

Selection process: The selection process consists of two phases: merit assessment and interview.

1.   First phase: merit assessment. The Selection Panel will verify and rate the merits documented by the applicants. The maximum score that can be awarded in this phase is 80 points, calculated as the sum of the scores obtained in each of the following two sections.

  a)  CV (maximum score: 40 points). Main criteria will be:

• Scientific and technical contributions to the candidate’s field of research.
• Appointments and stays (at the graduate or postdoctoral level) in other institutions.
• Experience managing and servicing high performance computing systems.
• Conference contributions, especially those leading to publications.
• Other indicators of research activity and motivation (such as invitations to lectures, organization of meetings, and teaching at university level).
• Any periods of inactivity for medical reasons, maternity/paternity leaves, elderly care, or due to training or professional experience in other fields will be taken into account.

  b)  Adequacy to the objectives of the contract (maximum score 40 points)

  Adequacy of the candidate’s training and experience to this contract.

• Experience setting up, operating, and/or using HPC systems.
• Experience in parallel programming, in particular for scientific research.

Form of accreditation for both sections: A report of the candidate's technical and research activity, accompanied by documentation accrediting the activities mentioned.

2)   Second phase: interview. (maximum score 20 points)

• Candidates who have obtained at least 50 points in the first phase will be invited to an interview. The interview may be either in Spanish or in English (as chosen by the candidate) and take place either in person at the IAC headquarters or using internet communication software (Zoom) that allows voice and image transmission.

• During the interview, the candidate will present, for a maximum of 10 minutes, his/her vision about the suitability of his/her professional profile to the position and the planned activity if awarded the contract. The presentation may be followed by questions from the Selection Committee.

Of the maximum 20 points to be awarded:

• Up to 10 points correspond to the suitability of the candidate’s profile to the position
• Up to 10 points correspond to the candidate's vision for their future research activity.

To pass the second phase a minimum score of 15 points will be necessary.

To pass the selective process, a minimum of 65 points must be reached. If there is a draw in the score of two or more candidates, priorities will be set according to the Equality Plan of the IAC.

Training: Candidates who have obtained their doctorate at the IAC must provide accreditation of a period of complementary training at other research centres. The required period is a full continuous year or 18 accumulated months (including periods of training during the doctoral studies stage and after obtaining the Ph.D. degree, but not periods prior to the predoctoral contract at the IAC).

Duration: The appointment will be for a period of 20 months.  The starting date is expected to be during January, 2021. In any case, the contract will not be extended later than August 31, 2022 (finalization of the project).

Remuneration: The gross annual salary will be 34.680 Euros, with deductions of up to 20% for income tax (IRPF) and social security (dependent on the candidate's personal situation). The contract provides social security cover for spouse or de facto partner and children.

Extra financial support to start the contract: The present job offer includes financial support for the selected candidate at the time of starting the appointment. The support covers the following items: air ticket (arranged by the IAC), stay at a hotel for a maximum of two weeks (reservation made by the IAC), and a per diem rate for a maximum of two weeks. This financial support cannot exceed 2,500 Euros.

Applicants from outside the EU: Successful applicants who are not citizens of a member country of the European Union must keep in mind that, prior to signing the contract, they must obtain a residence and work permit (NIE card) from the Spanish immigration authorities.

Applications: Must be sent electronically via the web-based application system https://iac.sede.gob.es/procedimientos/portada/idp/390/language/en before the deadline. Alternatively, you may follow the instructions given in the corresponding official advertisement on our website.

The following documentation must be sent in a single PDF file:

• Application form (Annex I, duly filled in and signed, including the position title and code number of the job offer)
• Copy of passport or national identity card (with the same number indicated in Annex I).
• CV, containing a list of publications
• Report on research activity and justification of suitability for the job (not exceeding 2 pages)
• Copy of the Doctoral degree or certified proof of being in possession of a doctorate (in Spanish or English)
• Certificate of training in other centers (only for applicants that have completed their doctorate at the IAC).

You should also include the names and email addresses two or three scientists familiar with your work.

Applications that do not include the application form of Annex I (the only mandatory document that cannot be later changed or added), fail to fill it in correctly, or include the title of another advertised position, will be excluded from this selective process. If any of the other required documents are omitted, they will have to be submitted within a period of five working days after publication of the provisional list of admitted and excluded candidates.

The IAC supports and joins the Recommendation of the European Commission 2005/251/EC of March 11th 2005 on “The European Charter for Researchers” and “The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers” adopted by the European Commission. Additionally, the IAC is aligned with the "Human Resources Strategy for Researchers" (HRS4R) fostered by the European Commission to support the implementation of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (C&C), having received recognition from the European Commission, with the award of the distinction "Excellence in Human Resources in Research".

Application deadline: OCTOBER 31, 2020

Contact: For further information about the scientific aspects of this opening, please contact the head of the project at the IAC PI, Carlos Allende Prieto (callende at iac.es).