China is looking for an astronomer to head the world's largest radio telescope

Last September, the world's largest radio telescope with a solid mirror, FAST (Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope), was launched in the Chinese province of Guizhou, and in March of this year it was opened to tourists, but now the Chinese Academy of Sciences is faced with an unexpected problem - there is no one to manage the telescope .

According to Shanghaiist , there were no astronomers in China with sufficient qualifications to lead FAST, and now the Academy is looking for a foreign specialist, offering him a salary of 1.2 million US dollars per year. In addition, working on a telescope can be an opportunity to make discoveries worthy of a Nobel Prize.

At the same time, very strict requirements are imposed on applicants. Those wishing to lead the project must have a professorship, 20 years of work experience and experience in managing a large radio telescope, including managerial skills. This probably explains the fact that so far no applications have been received for the vacancy.

"These requirements are very high - they cut off most astronomers. I can count the suitable candidates on my fingers," said Tinggui Wang, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Science and Technology of China.

He also noted that a foreign researcher who receives the position of head of FAST may face a number of problems, including language and cultural barriers. Finally, this job involves abandoning current research and moving to one of the least developed regions of China.

“This is not a job for a scientist, but for a superhero,” Wang concluded.

Let us remind you that the diameter of the FAST telescope is 500 meters, the area is equal to the area of ​​30 football fields, and each of the 4450 reflectors can adjust its position with an accuracy of a millimeter. Construction of the telescope took five years, and the project cost over $180 million. In addition, the Chinese authorities resettled 9 thousand people who lived within a radius of five kilometers from the radio telescope.