The ARC network now has a social media presence! We aim to report on everything from insider information on the latest European ALMA results to life at the nodes, reports from both technical and scientific meetings and workshops, and exclusive insights into what it's like to be an (ALMA) astronomer. Come and join us on Facebook (@ALMAEUARC), Instagram (@alma_europe) or Twitter (@ALMA_Europe)!

The ALMA call for Proposals for Cycle 8 is soon approaching. ALMA is strongly committed to ensure that the proposal review process is as fair and impartial as possible. Analysis of the proposal rankings in previous cycles has identified systematics that may signify the presence of biases in the review process (see Systematics in the ALMA Proposal Review Rankings). In an effort to reduce biases as much as possible, ALMA will use a dual-anonymous proposal review process starting in Cycle 8.

The deadline for submission of ACA Cycle 7 supplemental proposals was 1 October 2019. There were 249 proposals recieved with a request totalling 8199 hours, vastly exceeding the anticipated 2500 hours to be offered. This was the first call to use the distributed peer review system at ALMA. There were 99 projects accepted with a total of 3069 hours observing time. In addition 1294 hours of Total Power time was also accepted. The proposal acceptance rate was independent of time requested per project, which ranged from a few hours up to ~150 hours per proposal. Band 3 and 6 were the preferred bands of choice. For more details see the offical report.

The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) will start the next cycle of observing (Cycle 8) in October 2020.

A Call for Proposals with detailed information on Cycle 8 will be issued in March 2020, with a deadline for proposal submission mid-April 2019. This pre-announcement highlights aspects of the Cycle 8 proposal call that are needed to plan proposals. More information can be found on the ALMA Science Portal.  

Allegro, the Netherlands node of the European ALMA Regional Centre (ARC) at Leiden Observatory, invites applications for two postdoctoral support positions. The position offers the opportunity for research at one of the major centres of astronomy in the Europe as well as an in-depth involvement in the development and operations of ALMA. Established in 1633, Leiden Observatory is the oldest university observatory in operation today.

The deadline for applications is Jan 21, 2020.

Design Considerations for the Next ALMA Correlator to be held 11-13 February 2020, in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

The purpose of this meeting is to bring together experts on the ALMA system and modern digital correlator design in order to (1) discuss ALMA design requirements for the next generation ALMA correlator that enables the ALMA2030 vision; (2) share pros and cons of recent and currently under design correlator architectures; and (3) identify challenges for implementing and deploying a new ALMA correlator. Ultimately we hope this meeting encourages and informs the submission of viable designs for the next ALMA correlator in the near future.

Tthe deadline for abstract submission is December 20.

ALMA Post-Doctoral Fellow
JAO, Santiago - OSF, San Pedro de Atacama

The JAO is offering postdoctoral fellowship positions to join the ALMA science operations group in Santiago, Chile. ALMA Postdoctoral Fellows will be appointed for a period of three years and will spend 50% of their time dedicated to their personal scientific research. The remaining time will be spent in support of ALMA operations, including observing at the ALMA Operations Support Facility (OSF) near San Pedro de Atacama for hands-on interaction with the telescope.

The deadline for this vacancy is 16 December 2019.

In response to the state of emergency declared over the last few days in Chile, ALMA is reducing to minimum operations, i.e. no science observations, and keeping just essential services to ensure the safety and well-being of its employees, and the Observatory. This measure applies to both the main offices in Santiago and the Observatory operations near Calama and San Pedro de Atacama, and will be reassessed daily. All ALMA staff are well, and the Observatory facilities are safe.