Scientist with interest for space situational awareness (SSA)?

The Earth Observation Group is looking for two senior scientists in a permanent full-time position with knowledge or interest for space situational awareness (SSA) and/or satellite-based oceanography and its application to offshore wind energy. 

There are tens to hundreds of thousands of objects in Earth orbit that pose a potential threat to satellites and launches. SSA includes the topic of space surveillance and tracking (SST), which refers to keeping track of objects in orbit and predicting where they will be at any given time. It also includes space weather applications and near-Earth objects. There is a growing national and international need for SSA/SST services, and the Earth Observation Group at NORCE is expanding its competence and capacity within the field. Ongoing activities in the group include simulations of observation systems and the design of future SST instruments. 

Offshore wind is an emerging source of renewable energy, whose capacity is expected to increase rapidly in the coming years. Satellite images are a unique source of wide coverage observations of met-ocean parameters, which complement the information from numerical weather models and have a potential of contributing valuable information both in planning and operation of offshore wind farms. NORCE's ambition is to combine satellite- and model-based information to map wind resources for siting of new wind farms, to produce forecasts of wind and power production, and to improve modelling of coastal wind fields and turbine-induced wind wakes. A background in meteorology, numerical weather modelling, oceanography, radar remote sensing, signal processing, machine learning and/or mathematical and statistical modelling is relevant. 

The employees will work on ongoing projects and will be involved in building up further activities at the Earth Observation Group at NORCE. Other connected research tasks may also occur. 

We are looking for scientists with a Ph.D. and a strong background within one or more of these following fields of research: 

• Radio instrumentation, especially with regards to directional radios and active phased arrays 
• Radar signal processing 
• Radar system design 
• Orbit mechanics and dynamics 
• Satellite remote sensing 
• Synthetic aperture radar 
• Oceanography 
• Marine boundary layer meteorology 
• Machine learning and data science 

Knowledge of additional topics, or experience with the formal software design process will count in the candidate's favor.? Research experience can substitute the Ph.D. requirement in some cases. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Location 
The place of work will preferably be in Tromsø, but in some special cases other NORCE locations can be considered. 

For the right candidate we offer:

• Exciting tasks and good colleagues in an internationally leading and recognized professional environment
• Collaboration with academic staff and students at universities and colleges
• Opportunities to work with exciting research tasks, create new projects and expand your network together with NORCE
• Interdisciplinary work in and across teams
• Good opportunities for professional and personal development in an organization that values good performance
• Varied and flexible working day

If you have any questions about the position, please contact: group leader Kjell Arild Høgda at kjho@norceresearch.no, senior scientist Stian Normann Anfinsen at stia@norceresearch.no (satellite oceanography and offshore wind) or senior scientist Tom Grydeland at tgry@norceresearch.no (space situational awareness).