Heliospheric Physics using Interplanetary Scintillation with the Ooty Radio Telescope

The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCRA-TIFR), at Pune, India, is seeking a post-doctoral fellow to work on to work on heliospheric science using Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) studies with the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT). The successful candidate will work with Professor Divya Oberoi, Dr. M. A. Krishnakumar, and their collaborators.

The Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) is operated by NCRA-TIFR. The ORT is a cylindrical dish, 530m long and 30m wide, oriented North-South and located on a hillslope matching the latitude of the place. Its ingenious design makes it one of the largest steerable single dishes in the world. It operates at a central frequency of 326.5 MHz, currently with a maximum bandwidth of 15 MHz. Since the 1990s, the ORT has served as a prolific and the most sensitive instrument pursuing a large and regular IPS observing programme, spanning many solar cycles. After a hiatus, the ORT has recently been restored to its legacy sensitivity and efforts are under way to restart a regular IPS observing program.

The candidate will be hosted at NCRA and is expected to contribute about half their time towards various aspects of IPS investigations with the ORT, using archival as well as new ORT IPS data. The aspects of work include designing and implementing an archive for historical as well ongoing IPS observations, designing and executing the IPS observing program at the ORT, assessing and ensuring data quality, developing an analysis pipeline for individual IPS observations as well as tomographic reconstruction of the heliospheric electron density and velocity, and carrying out the analysis needed to extract heliospheric science from these observations. About half the time can be used for the candidate’s independent research. Areas of research in broad alignment with heliospheric physics and space weather will be strongly encouraged. This project will suit a candidate with a background in IPS, solar, and heliospheric science, and experience and/or interest in numerical data analysis techniques.

Research activities at NCRA-TIFR  are centred on low-frequency radio astronomy, with faculty members pursuing research in diverse areas of astrophysics (see http://www.ncra.tifr.res.in). NCRA-TIFR operates two large observational facilities, the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and the Ooty Radio Telescope.

Applications containing a curriculum vitae, a research plan, and the names and e-mail addresses of three or more referees should be sent to the Dean, NCRA-TIFR Faculty, at the e-mail address dean_nf@ncra.tifr.res.in, by October 31, 2025. Applicants should also request their referees to send in recommendation letters by the same deadline. All enquiries should also be made to this e-mail address. All applicants will automatically be considered for all available Post-Doctoral Fellowships at NCRA-TIFR.

The monthly salary of Post-Doctoral Fellows at NCRA-TIFR depends on experience after the doctoral degree. Candidates are required to have at least a provisional Ph.D. degree when taking up the position. For candidates who have received their doctoral degrees, the monthly salary ranges from INR 58,000 to INR 67,000, depending on experience. Post-doctoral fellows are also entitled to a contingency grant of INR 60,000 per year. All project post-doctoral positions are tenable for a maximum of 3 years, with continuations subject to a yearly review.

Post-doctoral Fellows at NCRA-TIFR are provided a travel grant of INR 3,00,000 over the course of the fellowship to enable them to travel for international conferences or for research collaborations. They are also entitled to a house rent allowance, and medical coverage under NCRA-TIFR's medical scheme.