Advertisement for a Junior Research Fellow/Project Assistant Position for an ISRO Funded Project at the Department of Physics   Date:22/04/2022

Applications are invited from motivated and eligible Indian citizens for a position of Junior Research Fellow (JRF)/Project Assistant in an ISRO sponsored research project entitled “Probing the Accretion Disk-Corona relation in Seyfert Galaxies” under the supervision of Principal Investigator (PI) Dr. Ritaban Chatterjee, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Presidency University, Kolkata.

Date and Venue of Interview: Thursday, May 5, 2022. Department of Physics, Baker Building, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata 700073, WB, India. The interview will be conducted in in-person mode. In extraordinary circumstances candidates may be allowed to give the interview in online mode.

Application process: The candidate must email i) their current CV ii) a 400-word write-up about their own research vision iii) name and email id or phone number of at least one referee, who can provide feedback on their academic background, to the PI (ritaban.physics@presiuniv.ac.in) before the interview date. If the candidate does not have email access, hard copy of the above material may be directly submitted to the PI as well.

The candidate must bring with them on May 5, 2022 11 AM i) hard copy of their CV ii) write-up and iii) original mark sheets/grade cards for B.Sc. and M.Sc. Self-attested xerox copies of the original will also be accepted subject to verification of the original on a later date if the candidate is selected.

Educational qualifications: MSc/MS/BS-MS or equivalent in Physics or Astrophysics. Candidates who are in their final year of MSc or equivalent are eligible to apply, subject to the fulfillment of the eligibility criteria after the publication of results.

Following qualifications are desirable but not mandatory:

a) Qualifying the National Eligibility Test (JRF/LS), Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST), Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) or an “equivalent exam” as per ISRO regulations.

b) Previous coursework in astrophysics, research experience in a project related to astrophysics.

c) Previous experience with computer programming, reduction and analyses of astrophysical data, particularly at the X-ray and UV wavelengths.

d) Good oral and written communication skills in English.

Job description: The fellow will process and analyze data, primarily those related to light curves and spectra of Seyfert galaxies, obtained by the SXT, LAXPC, and UVIT instruments onboard AstroSat in order to understand the inter-relation between their X-ray emitting corona and the accretion disk, which mainly emits in the UV-optical wavelengths. The data will be obtained from the AstroSat and other X-ray telescope archives as well as newly proposed observations. The fellow will interpret the time variability and spectra to understand the structure and dynamics of the disk-corona system. In order to interpret the results, usage of existing numerical models of such physical systems or building of such models through computer programing will be required. Data at other wave bands such as gamma-ray, optical, or radio may also be used. The fellow will take part in publishing the scientific findings in reputed international journals. He/she is encouraged to set-up collaborations with other members of the astrophysics group at Presidency University.

Enrolling for Ph.D.: The selected candidate may be allowed to enroll for Ph.D. program as per university rules.

Duration of project: Three years. May be increased to a fourth year.

Tenure of Assignment: One year. Can be extended annually till the duration of project, subject to satisfactory performance.

Fellowship/Salary:

For candidates who have qualified NET or equivalent exam:
JRF Rs. 31,000 + HRA; SRF Rs. 35,000 + HRA (third year onwards)

For candidates not satisfying above criteria:
JRF Rs. 26,400 + HRA; SRF Rs. 29,800 + HRA (third year onwards)

Note:

1. No TA/DA will be paid for attending the interview.

2. All the terms & conditions for this recruitment will be as per the guidelines of ISRO, Department of Space, Govt. of India and Presidency University Kolkata.

For further details please contact the PI via email.