Jobs & Fellowships
Royal Astronomical Society Fellowships (deadline: 20 October)
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) will award two RAS Research Fellowships in 2018, to begin on 1 October 2018 or within 6 months thereafter. Each fellowship provides post-doctoral funding for up to three years. The fellowships are offered to outstanding candidates to enable them to pursue research in the UK in the disciplines advanced by the RAS i.e. astronomy, solar system science, geophysics and closely related branches of these sciences. Applicants must have been awarded their PhD between 1 October 2013 and 1 October 2018. The deadline for applications is 23:59 (BST), 20 October 2017. See the RAS webpages for more information. Please contact us if you are interested in pursuing a fellowship at Warwick.
Past opportunities :
Postdoctoral researcher in stellar astrophysics and white dwarfs (Deadline: 22 September)
The Astronomy & Astrophysics group at the University of Warwick is seeking one ambitious post-doctoral researcher to work within the project “Evolution of white dwarfs with 3D model atmospheres”. The position is funded by an ERC Starting Grant held by Dr. Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay, and the candidate will join an existing team of PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers. The proposed project will be centred on the exploitation of the Gaia Data Release 2 colours and trigonometric parallaxes for white dwarfs. The post-doctoral researcher is expected to investigate questions ranging from the star formation history in the Milky Way, the composition of the interior of white dwarfs, and the nature of magnetic degenerates.
The position is available from 1 January 2018, for a period of two years with a possible extension of 1 year subject to funding.
Informal enquiries about this post can be made to Dr. Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay (P-E.Tremblay@warwick.ac.uk)
An application using this link must be completed if you wish to be considered for this position (reference job number 80750-087). The link will take you to register/login to our applicant tracking system before you can complete the application form. You will be given the chance to upload your CV (with a publication list) and a short signed cover letter with a concise description of your research accomplishments, interests, and relevant technical experience. Support letters are not requested at this stage but you should mention at least two references that we may contact during the selection process.
STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships 2017
STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships (ERFs) are prestigious 5-year personal fellowships. This year STFC's application deadline is 16:00, 21 September 2017. STFC applies a strict quota to each institution, so at Warwick we operate an initial triage between the STFC-supported groups to determine who to put forward. If you are interested in applying to hold an ERF with the Warwick group, we require a CV, 2 reference letters, publications list and a draft of your fellowship case by July 31. Since the ERF guidelines specify that a letter of support from someone who is not at the host institution, please ensure that at least one of the reference letters is from someone not at Warwick. Please make an initial contact with the astronomy staff if you are interested in an ERF at Warwick. If you do end up applying to hold an ERF here, we can help with financial details and in the preparation of your case but please ensure that there is plenty of time because people are often away in August and early September.
Royal Society University Research Fellowships 2017
Royal Society University Research Fellowships (URFs) are highly prestigious 5-year fellowships. The deadline for applications for Royal Society URFs is 15:00, 04 September 2017. We welcome potential applicants to consider applying for URFs with us. If you are interested, please contact a relevant member of staff to discuss it first. There is no quota on URFs, but since each application requires effort from the staff member(s) as well as the applicant, we still make a selection on who to put forward, thus we would like the same documentation as for the ERFs (see above), by the same deadline, 31 July, to help us decide.
Research Fellows in Astrophysical Transients (3 positions)
We are seeking to appoint several post-doctoral research fellows in the area of astrophysical transients to support ambitious programmes of research addressing the nature of gravitational wave transients, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae and tidal disruption events.
Post 1: Gravitational Wave Astrophysics with GOTO.
As part of this role, funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), you will be involved in the early science operations of the Gravitational Wave Optical Transient Observer facility (GOTO), exploiting its data to search for the first optical counterparts to gravitational wave sources and other optical transients, optimize the GOTO observing strategy and coordinate follow-up observations of GOTO transients. The post is available for 3 years in the first instance.
Posts 2 & 3: These posts are in support of the ERC project “Transient Engine Driven Explosions, TEDE” and will investigate the nature of transients in which central engine activity drives their appearance. We anticipate that we will appoint one position in the area of gravitational wave transients, including observations with VISTA, HST and other facilities. The other position will be focused on observations of ultra-long GRBs, tidal disruption events and other engine-driven electromagnetically detected systems. The project duration is 5 years, these posts are available for 3 years in the first instance.
You must hold, or be about to obtain, a Ph.D. degree in astronomy. Experience in astrophysical transients, time domain, multi-messenger astronomy and/or optical data analysis development is desirable. To be considered for this post, you must complete an application form and include a cover letter, a description of your research accomplishments and relevant technical expertise as well as a CV and publication list. We will consider all applications for all three posts unless applicants indicate on their application form that they would only consider one (or more) of the available positions. We would normally expect to appoint at the Research Fellow level, but higher levels may be available for exceptional candidates.
Further enquires should be directed to Andrew Levan (A.J.Levan@warwick.ac.uk) and Danny Steeghs (D.T.H.Steeghs@warwick.ac.uk).
Link to job ad and online application
Closing date: 3 April 2017
Associate Professor/Lectureships (3 positions) in Exoplanets (Deadline: Nov 21, 2016)
The Department of Physics at the University of Warwick, UK, seeks to appoint up to three academic posts in the area of Exoplanets. Applicants will have a strong research track record and be ready to build their own research team with the support of colleagues at Warwick. Warwick has leading positions in the WASP and NGTS ground based transit experiments, membership of the ESA S mission CHEOPS board, and the Science Coordination of ESA’s PLATO mission (the PLATO Science office is being established at Warwick). It is expected that the successful candidates will take advantage of the opportunities presented by these experiments. One of these appointments could suit an applicant with a theoretical background. Suitable areas could include planetary atmospheres and orbital dynamics.
In addition to the above posts, we invite applications from outstanding scientists who either already hold an externally funded Research Fellowship or are seeking a top-class institution with which to apply for such a Fellowship within this research area.
You will have good communication skills and be willing to contribute to the teaching and administration of the Department. Assistant Professor is a tenure track position leading to appointment as an Associate Professor after successful completion of probation. Teaching and administration duties are reduced during the probationary period.
The University of Warwick maintains a global outlook and has affiliates around the globe. The Department of Physics will provide an exciting and highly supportive environment in which academics can develop their careers. We are fully committed to equality of opportunity and encourage application and enquiries from all suitably qualified candidates.
Further details available from http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AUI351/assistant-professor-plato-78318-086/ along with details of the on-line application procedure.
Informal enquiries can be addressed to Professor Pollacco (d.pollacco@warwick.ac.uk)
RAS Research Fellowship and Norman Lockyer Fellowship (Deadline: Oct 21, 2016)
If you are interested in working at Warwick, these fellowships give you 3 years to pursue your own research. Please contact a member of the astronomy staff in this case. See the RAS website for details of the application procedure.
STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships 2016
STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships are prestigious 5-year personal fellowships. STFC applies a strict quota to each institution, so at Warwick we operate an initial triage between the STFC-supported groups to determine who to put forward. This year the meeting to decide this has been brought forward from our usual time to August 1. If you are interested, we require a CV, 2 references, publications list and a draft of your fellowship case by the end of July. Please contact any of the astronomy staff if you wish to register interest.
Postdoctoral position in stellar astrophysics
Fixed term contract for 3 years from 1 June 2016 until 31 May 2019.
Application deadline: Thursday 04 February 2016
The Astronomy & Astrophysics group at the University of Warwick is seeking one ambitious post-doctoral researcher to work within the project “Evolution of white dwarfs with 3D model atmospheres”. The positions are funded by an ERC Starting Grant held by Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay, and the team will also include at least three PhD students. The overarching aim of the project is to build a theoretical framework relying on 3D radiation-hydrodynamics for the atmosphere of all types of white dwarfs, and investigate questions ranging from the interior structure of these degenerate stars to the star formation history in the Milky Way. The post-doctoral researcher will study the stellar remnants in the Gaia sample, as well as the diffusion of metals in the convection zones of white dwarfs that are accreting rocky asteroids.
Candidates must hold, or be about to obtain, a Ph.D. degree in astrophysics. Experience in theoretical astrophysics, Galactic astronomy, analyses of large surveys, or model atmospheres, will be a strong advantage.
Informal enquiries about this post can be made to Dr. Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay (P-E dot Tremblay at warwick dot ac dot uk)
This link will take you to register/login to our applicant tracking system before you can complete the application form. You will be given the chance to upload a CV and one supporting document during the application process. You can save a partially completed form without submitting it as long as you return to complete it before the closing date.
Please quote job vacancy reference number 76975-125.
Postdoctoral position in time-domain astronomy
Salary: £28,132 - £36,661 pa
Application deadline: 14 September 2014
Starting date: 1 November 2014
Duration: 1 November 2014 until 31 October 2017
Applications are invited for an ambitious postdoctoral researcher in the Astronomy & Astrophysics group at the University of Warwick, to work with Prof. Boris Gaensicke on white dwarfs, accreting binaries, and optical transient follow-up. This position will involve operational support for a 1m telescope on La Palma.
You must hold, or be about to obtain, a PhD in astronomy, and have experience in observational astronomy and data reduction. A background white dwarf science will be an advantage.
You should submit a signed covering letter with a concise description of your research accomplishments and interests and relevant technical experience, as well as a CV including a full publication list.
The positions are available from 1 November 2014, for three years.
Informal enquiries: Prof. Boris Gaensicke (boris.gaensicke@warwick.ac.uk)
The closing date/time for applications is midnight (British time) at the end of Sunday 14 Sebtember 2014, online application via this link.
For any further queries about the application process, please email to physicsadmin@warwick.ac.uk.
Research Fellow, Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer project
Salary: £28,132 - £36,661 pa
Application deadline: 15 September 2014
Applications are invited for a full time Post-doctoral Research Assistant in the Astronomy & Astrophysics group at the University of Warwick. You will be working on the Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer project (GOTO) in collaboration with members of the group and its partners . GOTO is a planned wide-field robotic telescope that will be able to rapidly search large areas of the sky for transient optical sources. Its design is optimized to respond to gravitational wave events expected to be detected in the near future with the advanced LIGO and VIRGO arrays.
You will be expected to contribute to the deployment of a prototype facility and conduct extensive tests with this prototype in order to critically evaluate the design components of GOTO. You will contribute to the development of a data processing pipeline that can process the data stream from GOTO and allow for a rapid characterisation of the variable objects it detects.
The GOTO project is primarily supported via a Major Initiative of the Warwick-Monash Alliance. This 3-year position is one of two that will be advertised simultaneously, the other based at Monash University. You will be required to travel regularly to both the prototype infra-structure as well as Monash University (Melbourne, Australia). Candidates wishing to be considered for both positions will need to apply to both opportunities.
You must hold, or be about to obtain, a Ph.D. degree in a relevant discipline. Experience with optical instrumentation and/or time-domain optical data analysis is highly desired.
To be considered for this post, you must complete an application form and include a cover letter, a description of your research accomplishments and relevant technical expertise as well as a CV and publication list.
Informal enquiries about this post should be directed to Danny Steeghs (d.t.h.steeghs@warwick.ac.uk)