The Cyprus Institute (CyI) is a European non-profit science and technology institution based in Cyprus and led by an acclaimed Board of Trustees. The research aims of the CyIare represented by three research centers: the Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center (CASTORC), the Science and Technology in Archaeology Research Center (STARC), and the Energy Environment Water Research Center (EEWRC). Considerable cross-center interaction is a characteristic of the Institute’s culture.

The Cyprus Institute invites applications for a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Atmospheric Aerosols position. The successful candidate will work in adynamic team of international researchers of the Cyprus Institute and get a unique expertise in operating and interpreting UAV-based atmospheric observations. She/He will be involved in several international field campaigns and collaborate with a large number of research institutions currently involved in atmospheric observations in Cyprus.

As part of the EU-H2020 ACTRIS2 and EU-FP7-BACCHUS projects, the Cyprus Institute (CyI) is currently deploying unprecedented experimental efforts to document aerosol properties in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region and better characterize their impact on regional radiative forcing and air quality. A number of state-of-the-art CyI infrastructures have been recently developed to support these experimental activities:

The CyI Agia Marina Xyliatou atmospheric station. Providing transnational access, this station currently provides quality controlled observations of aerosol chemical/physical/optical properties and wet/dry removal which are the first of its kind in the region.
The CyI Unmanned System Research Laboratory (USRL). This facility, composed of highly qualified electronic/mechanical engineers and professional pilots, is operating a large fleet of small and medium sized fixed/rotary wings Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). USRL is running a private UAV runway and airspace (above the Agia Marina Xyliatou station) with mobile ground control station.
The CyI analytical laboratory. This facility offers a wide range of off-line techniques (IC, GC-MS, ICP-MS, etc) to provide a comprehensive characterization of the chemical composition of aerosols collected over Cyprus.
The CyI instrumentation laboratory. This new facility is currently focused in the development and qualification of miniaturized instruments under UAV real-world conditions (covering a wide range of atmospheric temperatures, pressure, and humidity).

Taking advantage of these infrastructures, the Post-Doctoral Fellow will be involved in operating, for a period of 1 year, UAV-based miniaturized gas/aerosol prototypes and assist the USRL team to perform weekly flight (0-3km altitude) above the Agia Marina Xyliatou station. She/He will be responsible to interpret this dataset with concurrent ground-based observations obtained at different altitudes (500 and 1800m above sea level) by international research teams (CNRS, NOAA, TROPOS, Max Planck Institute, etc). This UAV-based monitoring activity will address, for the first time in the Mediterranean region, the properties of long-range transported dust and continental (polluted) aerosols at various altitudes (below and above the marine boundary layer).

This vertically resolved aerosol characterization will be completed by a more comprehensive analysis of the chemical composition of aerosols obtained at ground-level using on-line (Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor, Aethalometer) and off-line (filter sampling) techniques. Major aerosol sources in the EMME region, their seasonality and geographical origin will be addressed here using statistical tools. Theywill be contrasted with a similar dataset recently obtained in Western Mediterranean region (Cape Corsica) as part of the ChArMEx research program.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be carrying out the following activities:

Runningminiaturized atmospheric sensors and participate to the routine UAV atmospheric observations performed by CyI.
Analyze and interpret aerosol chemical/physical/optical datasets using different computer-based tools (including source apportionment techniques).
Present results to conferences and publish them in peer-review journals.

Required Qualifications

Ph-D in Atmospheric Sciences
At least three (3) years of research experience (as Ph-D) in the relevant field
Author or co-author of at least one (1) publication in peer-review journals
At least one (1) communication at an international conference
Experience in operating atmospheric instrumentation
Experience in computer-based processing of atmospheric datasets
High level of communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to adopt to a multicultural/multinational environment
High level of organizational, analytical and problem solving skills
Proficiency in spoken and written English is essential.

Additional, preferred skills that would be considered as an advantage:

Knowledge of computational/programming packages (e.g. Matlab)
Driving license (category B).

Theappointmentwill be ofa full time basis, initially for a fixed term period oftwo (2) yearswith the potential of contract renewal depending on performance and availability of funds.

Application

For full consideration, interested applicants should process their application at The Cyprus Institute JobBoard (http://jobboard.cyi.ac.cy/?q=node/414). For any further information please contact Prof Jean Sciare (j.sciare@cyi.ac.cy; phone: +357 22 208 675).

Michael Pikridas
Postdoctoral Fellow
The Cyprus Institute
Energy, Environment and Water Research Centre (EEWRC)
20 Konstantinou Kavafi Street
2121 Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus
work: +357 22 208 682
cell: +357 99 303 496
email: mpikridas@cyi.ac.cy mpikridas@gmail.com