Two Research Assistant positions are open in the RareNoise project at INFN of Padova (Italy) and Politecnico di Torino (Italy) starting in fall 2008 or possibly earlier. The initial appointments will be for one year, renewable up to five years contingent on mutual consent. A PhD position is also available at Politecnico di Torino: contact person is shown below. The researchers will join a newly formed research group which focuses on experimental, numerical and theoretical investigation of spontaneous vibration fluctuations of solid bodies under non-equilibrium conditions: the group is highly interdisciplinary being formed by Statistical Mechanics theoreticians and Gravitational Wave experimentalists. For a more detailed description of the project, please visit our web page at http://www.rarenoise.lnl.infn.it . The research is funded by a Starting Independent Research Grant of the European Research Council ERC (FP7-IDEAS). The experimental scientist will carry on table top experiments on very low loss mechanical oscillators  made of aluminum and single-crystal silicon. The researcher is expected to interact strongly with the theoreticians of the group for an optimal planning of the experiment and for mutual exchange of results, meant to advance understanding of both the theoretical and the experimental outcomes of the project. Net salary will be about 1500Euros per month. Candidates with a PhD in Physics and strong experimental skills are encouraged to apply; experience in displacement sensors and/or low mechanical loss resonators is an advantage. To apply, please send a cover letter, a CV, two letters of recommendation and a list of publications to: Dr. Livia Conti INFN Sezione di Padova Via Marzolo 8 I-35100 Padova (Italy) Tel: +39 049 8068 826 Email: conti@lnl.infn.it Web:  http://www.pd.infn.it/~lconti/ The theoretician will work on the recently developed theories for both transient and steady state nonequilibrium phenomena, which the so-called Fluctuation-Theorems are part of. Developments of the present theories and of the models of nonequilibrium systems will be sought for, in order to approach the specific problem of the nonequilibrium fluctuations in the mechanical oscillators which are the object of the experiment: results will be then applied to the case of ground-based gravitational wave detectors . These developments will have an impact on the emerging theory of nonequilibrium phenomena, while the close interaction with the experimentalists of the group will provide ideal conditions for the validation and extension of the theory. The theoretical work will begin at the Politecnico di Torino; after a few years it will continue at the INFN of Padova , as the need to interact more closely with the experimentalists will arise. Net salary will be about 1500Euros per month. Applicants with a Ph.D. in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Material Science and Engineering, with a background in statistical physics, dynamical systems theory and molecular dynamics are encouraged to apply.  To apply, please send a cover letter, CV, two letters of recommendation and a list of publications to: Prof. Lamberto Rondoni Dipartimento di Matematica Politecnico di Torino corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24 I-10129 Torino  (Italy) Tel: +39 011 564 7533 Email:lamberto.rondoni@polito.it Web: http://calvino.polito.it/~rondoni/