Research Fellow (106910-0123)

Fixed-term contract for 2 years with a start date of ASAP, 1.0 FTE. Part-time option.

The Department of Physics seeks to appoint a Research Fellow in Dr Farzana Meru’s group focusing on protoplanetary discs (starting ASAP) for 2 years with a possible extension, subject to funding. Applications for a part-time position & from underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged & welcome.

The successful candidate will work with Dr Farzana Meru on dust growth in self-gravitating discs. The post is primarily expected to involve numerical simulations, but where relevant, an observational connection will certainly be encouraged. You will develop your own research ideas & will be encouraged to contribute to Dr Meru’s wider research on planet formation and evolution.

Dr Meru’s group is based in the University of Warwick’s Astronomy & Astrophysics group – a leading institution for exoplanet & disc research, with 88 researchers including 16 faculty members working on exoplanets and discs. The group was recently donated £3.5m for PhD studentships and postdoctoral fellowships, attracting high quality international researchers and students. The exoplanet research is extremely active & the vibrant discs research group spans protoplanetary, debris, white dwarf & black hole discs.

The professional development of her group is of great importance to Dr Meru, including developing students & researchers to give their careers a step up. The candidate will have CV development opportunities e.g. supervising PhD/undergraduate research projects, & taking on responsibilities to positively enhance their development for future goals.

The candidate will have an expertise in one or more of: protoplanetary discs, planet formation, dust growth, accretion disc physics, numerical simulations. Areas outside these are encouraged if they complement the project. Applicants should demonstrate a proven research track record. You will be an excellent communicator (written/oral), capable of working effectively independently and in a team. You will possess excellent planning & time management skills to ensure their research objectives are achieved effectively. You will have a proven commitment to and/or lived experience of addressing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues in the workplace.

Candidates should submit a formal application with: (i) an up-to-date CV complete with publication list and metrics (max 2 pages plus publications list), (ii) a concise (max 2 pages) statement describing past research accomplishments, and relevant scientific and technical experience, (iii) an ANONYMOUS statement of future research plans along with how they link to the advertised post (max 2 pages), (iv) a statement about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (max 1 page). A cover letter is not needed. The future research plans must be written in a way where the reader cannot tell who is writing it, as this will be assessed blindly and purely on the merit of scientific ideas. See here for examples of how to write anonymous research proposals:

https://nrc.canada.ca/en/research-development/products-services/technical-advisory-services/guidelines-writing-anonymous-proposals-under-dual-anonymous-review-process-darp

https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/dual-anonymous-peer-review

For equity purposes, the panel will firstly assess the future research and EDI statements blindly. Please provide details of three referees (letters). All applications will be given equal consideration.

Please visit Warwick’s careers pages for full job advert. Direct all informal inquiries to Dr Farzana Meru (f.meru@warwick.ac.uk).

Interview Date: TBC

Full details of the duties and selection criteria for this role can be found in the vacancy advert on the University of Warwick's jobs pages. You will be routed to this when you click on the Apply button.

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