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Job description

Background/Overview:

The Earth’s radiation belts are a highly variable radiation environment, where the electron flux can change by orders of magnitude in hours, as the result of changing conditions emanating from the Sun. Understanding, modelling and ultimately predicting, this environment is important as many of the satellites that society relies on orbit through this region and are susceptible to damage or disruption by high-energy electrons from the belts. The Space Weather and Atmosphere (SWA) team at BAS is looking to hire a Space Weather analyst to investigate the causes of the variability of the Earth’s radiation belts.

Purpose:

The main purposes of the job are to develop new global models of whistler mode chorus and plasmaspheric hiss, as a function of spatial location, geomagnetic activity and plasma parameters and to compute new diffusion matrices for input into the BAS Radiation Belt Model to improve our modelling and forecasting capabilities. This project will primarily use data from THEMIS-A, THEMIS-D, THEMIS-E and Arase to extend our current model to higher radial distances and magnetic latitudes. The job will require frequent updates and presentations at team meetings and writing research papers in collaboration with other members of the SWA team.

While a knowledge of radiation belt physics would be an advantage, we welcome applications from candidates with appropriate backgrounds in related fields such as other aspects of space weather, solar physics, plasma physics, fusion physics and astrophysics. This role can be appointed at either Band D or Band E, depending on experience (see the skill specification for more details) and is a fixed-term appointment for 33 months.

Duties:

• Calculate new diffusion coefficients, taking into account co-located measurements of the wave and plasma parameters, for equatorial whistler mode chorus using wave, magnetometer and density data from the THEMIS-A, THEMIS-D and THEMIS-E satellite missions
• Calculate new diffusion coefficients, taking into account co-located measurements of the wave and plasma parameters, for mid-latitude plasmaspheric hiss and whistler mode chorus using wave, magnetometer and density data from the Arase satellite
• Investigate the roles of equatorial chorus at large radial distances and of plasmaspheric hiss and chorus at mid-latitudes on radiation belt dynamics by comparing and contrasting the new diffusion coefficients with those using existing methods
• Incorporate the new diffusion coefficients from the THEMIS spacecraft and Arase with those from the Van Allen probes to create diffusion matrices for chorus and hiss throughout the radiation belts
• Give presentations at monthly meetings and scientific conferences
• Write research papers in collaboration with other members of the team

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £31,931.00-£50,790.00 per year

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company events
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee discount
• Flexitime
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Referral programme
• Store discount
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Flexitime

Work Location: One location

Reference ID: BAS 23/47