Genesis - CH Advanced Postdoc

Open Position at the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern

The Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) is receiving funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) for the national initiative Genesis-CH to support the preparation of the Bernese GNSS Software for the rigorous data processing of ESA's co-location in space mission Genesis, which is currently scheduled for launch in 2028. In the frame of Genesis-CH funding will be available for an Advanced Postdoc (Position No. 1)

Objective

The main objective of ESA's Genesis mission is to contribute to the achievement of the accuracy and stability goals of the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) concerning the realization of the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS), aiming for 1 mm and 0.1 mm/year, respectively. To this aim, the Genesis mission will provide in-orbit co-location of the four space geodetic techniques, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS), Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), on a highly calibrated and stable platform. This requires significant upgrades and developments in scientific software packages to consistently process and
combine the Genesis data of all four space geodetic techniques together with the data of the respective terrestrial ground networks.
The position of the Advanced Postdoc is scheduled for two years and will focus on the implementation of dedicated VLBI processing models into the Bernese GNSS Software maintained at AIUB. In collaboration with Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG), Germany, the AIUB is currently extending the Bernese GNSS Software to process classical VLBI data. The candidate shall focus on the extension for VLBI to satellites as offered by the Genesis mission.
The planned developments will be performed in close exchange with ESA's Genesis Science Exploitation Team and the IAG/IERS Joint Working Group on Genesis.

Education

The candidate is expected to have successfully completed a Ph.D. thesis in astronomy, geodesy, physics, or a related topic. Experience in VLBI data processing or other space geodetic data, or using the Bernese GNSS Software package, and in computer science (coding in modern Fortran, C++, Python, or Perl) are not a requirement, but an advantage. The candidate should speak and write English fluently.
The candidate should start working in Bern preferably by July 1, 2026.
The position is scheduled for two years with an option for an extension to three years. The salary follows the guidelines of the University of Bern and depends on the qualification of the successful candidate.