Research Associate / Senior Research Associate

Salary:

£37,099 - £41,732 per annum (Grade I) or

£41,732 - £46,974 per annum (Grade J) depending on experience

The role

Applications are invited to a Postdoctoral Research Associate (or in exceptional circumstances Senior Research Associate) position, working in reduction and analysis of exoplanet atmospheric observations with Dr Hannah Wakeford in the Astrophysics Group at the University of Bristol. The position is full-time open-ended contract. The position is funded through UKRI Frontier Research Grant (formerly Horizon Europe ERC Starting Grants) and is for a 3 year role. Starting salaries range from £37,099 to £41,732 per annum depending on previous experience and position offered, in addition there is £2k per year of travel funds with additional funds for specific national and international meetings and workshops.

The successful candidate will sit in the astrophysics group which consists of ~40 researchers, students, and support staff. The group’s research spans a range of observational, numerical, and theoretical topics from exoplanets to extra-galactic cosmology. We are a diverse and friendly group and welcome any and all candidates with an interest in the interpretation of exoplanet spectra.

Please submit via the Bristol portal a cover letter, CV, and research statement including information on previous and current work alongside plans for the future (research statement no more than 3 pages). Please also provide information for two referees (this does not have to be your PhD supervisor but should be able to talk directly to your research).

What will you be doing?

The position will involve reducing and analysing observations of transiting exoplanets and their atmospheres from JWST and Hubble Space Telescopes using novel analysis techniques to extract, where possible, multi-dimensional information. The primary goal of the funding program will be to develop or implement multi-dimensional techniques working with observations to generate 3D maps of exoplanet atmospheres. There will be freedom to direct projects and the opportunity to pursue your own research aligned with the overall goals of the advertised program. 

You should apply if

We encourage those interested in observational analysis and/or spectroscopic interpretation to apply or those with strong scientific coding skills i.e., the applicant should be familiar with Python and scientific computing methods. It is expected that the applicant will have a PhD (or that their viva/defence is already schedule) prior to starting the position.

Additional information

Contract type: Open ended with fixed funding until 31/08/2027

Work pattern: 35 hours/full-time

Grade: Grade I or J Pathway 2a/b

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on 01/07/2024

Interviews are anticipated to take place week commencing 22nd July 2024

Informal enquiries (not applications) can be made to Dr Hannah Wakeford (Hannah.wakeford@bristol.ac.uk)

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