CfAI vacancies

Job opportunities will be posted here as they appear.

Studentship opportunity

Project Title: Developing the Next Generation of Deployable Telescopes
Supervisory Team: Dr Cyril Bourgenot and Dr Steven Knox
Project description:
The successful launch, in-orbit alignment, and operation of the James Webb Space Telescope have demonstrated a bright future for in-orbit deployable telescopes. Considering that launch costs scale with spacecraft mass and volume, an optical payload with deployable optics and a telescope becomes an attractive concept to benefit from lower launch platform costs without compromising on the telescope aperture size. A space telescope equipped with a deployable primary mirror can, in principle, use actuated individual segments to recreate a larger synthetic aperture than the launch vehicle size, enabling higher spatial resolution than a non-deployable telescope would deliver.
 
Efforts are now being made to adapt this principle to smaller, more cost-effective platforms. One challenge is the phasing of the segments to ensure they work constructively to recreate a synthetic aperture at a level of a fraction of a wavelength. Another challenge lies in the opto-mechanical design, ensuring no stress is applied to the segments, so they provide optimal image quality after deployment.
 
This PhD project, in collaboration with Durham University and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), aims to explore novel deployable concepts from existing telescope designs developed by SSTL. Applications are anticipated in Earth observation, space situational awareness, free-space optical communications, and space astronomy. The most exciting concepts will be prototyped and tested, potentially leading to a future mission.
 
We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate with a background in optical engineering, physics, or photonics. You will join a cutting-edge research group in optical instrumentation at the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation at Durham University and work in cooperation with a leading industry in small satellite technology. The project will benefit from our state-of-the-art space optics manufacturing capabilities, cleanroom, and space qualification facilities. The role is based at Durham University main campus but also at the NetPark Research Institute located in Sedgefield) and will involve temporary placements at SSTL.