Highly motivated young and experienced researchers looking for a research experience in the field are encouraged to contact us to evaluate job opportunities
Embedded Files
The Adaptive Optics group and the Optical Turbulence group are part of the High Angular Resolution Research pole in the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri. A dynamic context for a professional experience !
The Adaptive Optics group and the Optical Turbulence group are part of the High Angular Resolution Research pole in the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri. A dynamic context for a professional experience !
Photo Credit: Ufficio Stampa INAF
NEW: PhD position @ Politecnico di Milano – Physics Department
Research Topic: OPTICAL TURBULENCE FORECAST APPLIED TO THE FREE-SPACE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION (FSOC)
Open Call: 30/07/2026
Deadline for the application: 18/9/2026
The monthly net salary is 1325 €
Scientific supervisor: Dr. Elena Masciadri (INAF-Osservatorio Astropfisico di Arcetri)
Date of the beginning of the PhD: 1 November 2026
ITA
https://www.polimi.it/?id=5234
ENG
https://www.polimi.it/?id=5234&L=1
Each scholarship corresponds to an offer with a specific id number. Look at the link ‘Physics’ and then id: 5821-5495
The selected candidate will join the Optical Turbulence (OT) group at the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri (OAA). The Adaptive Optics (AO) group and the Optical Turbulence (OT) group are strictly interlaced and are part of the High Angular Resolution Research pole in the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri (Florence), Italy. It is a very dynamic context in which young researchers can find a rich cultural substrate to grow up from a professional point of view participating to international projects of top-class level. Such an experience can be a useful training and premise for a brilliant career.
The selected candidate will join the Optical Turbulence (OT) group at the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri (OAA). The Adaptive Optics (AO) group and the Optical Turbulence (OT) group are strictly interlaced and are part of the High Angular Resolution Research pole in the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri (Florence), Italy. It is a very dynamic context in which young researchers can find a rich cultural substrate to grow up from a professional point of view participating to international projects of top-class level. Such an experience can be a useful training and premise for a brilliant career.
The OT group has a robust expertise built all along several decades in optical turbulence characterization and measurement and on optical turbulence forecast mainly applied to the ground-based astronomy. We have carried out projects for the most important ground-based telescopes in the world such as the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and we are leaders of operational forecast systems for LBT (ALTA Center project) and for VLT (FATE project). Our colleagues of the AO group are leaders of many of the most complex AO systems of present and new generation ground-based facilities in the world with a robust expertise in the field. The two groups are part of ADONI, the Adaptive Optics National Laboratory in INAF, a national structure joining the best competence in the field in the INAF structures. The idea in this PHD thesis is to extend our expertise of optical turbulence forecast to the field of the free-space optical communication (FSOC). The PhD thesis is cofunded by Thales Alenia Space Italia (TAS-Italia). We will work in collaboration with TAS-Italia to better adapt our expertise/methodology to FOSC requirements for a technological implementation in the FSOC field.
The OT group has a robust expertise built all along several decades in optical turbulence characterization and measurement and on optical turbulence forecast mainly applied to the ground-based astronomy. We have carried out projects for the most important ground-based telescopes in the world such as the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and we are leaders of operational forecast systems for LBT (ALTA Center project) and for VLT (FATE project). Our colleagues of the AO group are leaders of many of the most complex AO systems of present and new generation ground-based facilities in the world with a robust expertise in the field. The two groups are part of ADONI, the Adaptive Optics National Laboratory in INAF, a national structure joining the best competence in the field in the INAF structures. The idea in this PHD thesis is to extend our expertise of optical turbulence forecast to the field of the free-space optical communication (FSOC). The PhD thesis is cofunded by Thales Alenia Space Italia (TAS-Italia). We will work in collaboration with TAS-Italia to better adapt our expertise/methodology to FOSC requirements for a technological implementation in the FSOC field.
Page updated
Report abuse