Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Modelling Dynamics in the Protoplanetary Disk

Fixed term for 3 years

Reporting to Associate Professor James Bryson, the post holder will be a member of the Planetary Magnetism research group with the responsibility of carrying out research for as part of the UKRI Frontier Research Guarantee grant entitled MMESSH (Utilising Meteorite Magnetism to Elucidate Early Solar System History). The post holder will provide guidance to less experienced members of the research group, including postdocs, research assistants, technicians, and PhD and Masters project students if required.

The post holder will build numerical models that incorporate several recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the dynamics of gas, dust, and solids in protoplanetary disks. These include: pressure maxima and barriers in disks; the temporal evolution of these features and of disk dynamics; natural variations in dynamic parameters as functions of space and time.

The model will be built in collaboration with researchers at the University of Chicago and MIT. The post holder will work with researchers at these institutes to create the models.

The postholder will manage and conduct research and administrative duties regarding disk modelling as part of the MMESSH grant.

They will write, optimise, and utilise the models required to access the necessary predictions and work with collaborators at the University of Chicago and MIT to build the required models.

They will also write and publish any relevant scientific research papers on modelling disk dynamics and the magnetic field in the protoplanetary disk and will act as a source of information and advice to other group members on scientific protocols and modelling approach as necessary.

About you

You will hold, or be close to completion of (i.e., submitted thesis at the time an offer is made), a relevant PhD/DPhil, together with relevant experience. This experience should include some aspect of protoplanetary disk modelling and/or modelling planet building and/or modelling planetesimal formation.

You will possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to work within established research programmes.

You will have the ability and desire to incorporate the results of laboratory measurements into models and work alongside experimentalists, and have the ability to manage your own academic research and associated activities in a productive and independent manner.

You must have excellent communication skills including the ability to write for publication, present research proposals and results, and represent the research group at meetings.

You will also ideally have experience in numerical models of disk dynamics and modelling streaming instability/pebble accretion. 

You will also ideally have experience of independent explicit management of a discrete area of a research project and actively collaborating in the development of research articles for publication. 

For further details of the role please see the job description by clicking the 'Apply' button above. 

The deadline for applications is midday on 27 October 2023 

You will be required to upload a CV and a Supporting Statement as part of your application. Please do not attach any manuscripts, papers, transcripts, mark sheets or certificates as these will not be considered as part of your application.

Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and ethnic minority candidates, who are under-represented in research posts in the Department.

Advert information