Post Doctoral Research Associate

Closing Date: 04/09/2024

Weekly Working Hours: 37

Contract Type:  Fixed Term Contract

Welsh Language Standard: Not Applicable

Job Description: 

About the Role

Full time, Fixed Term Contract for 2 years.  

This position is based full time in Milton Keynes. Some travel for conferences and international collaborations is required.
Interviews: w/c 23rd September 2024 at OU Milton Keynes Campus

The School of Physical Sciences at the Open University, UK, invites applications for a 2-year fixed-term postdoctoral researcher in extragalactic radio surveys and AGN feedback. The postdoctoral researcher will work with Dr Judith Croston as part of the STFC-funded research project “Jet feedback across cosmic time with LOFAR”. The role will involve using LOFAR extragalactic surveys datasets, including LOFAR-VLBI observations, together with multi-wavelength information, to investigate the physics and galaxy feedback influence of low-power and galaxy-scale jets.

Key Responsibilities

The person appointed to this post will undertake duties to include:

• Leading the analysis of radio and multiwavelength observations and survey datasets
• Planning and carrying out modelling work and/or acquiring additional data as needed
• Leading scientific publications related to the research outcomes
• Working with, and providing day to day support to, PhD students in extragalactic astronomy
• Disseminating the research at major national and international conferences
• Developing their own independence by leading observing proposals, and leading and/or co-ordinating work within international teams 

Skills and Experience

Essential Requirements

• PhD in Astronomy, Astrophysics or a related field
• Experience in working with radio interferometric observations and/or datasets from large radio surveys
• A developing track record of peer-reviewed publications in international journals
• Experience of Python programming for scientific data processing and analysis
• Time management and project planning skills
• The ability to present your research effectively both orally and in scientific writing
• The ability to work both independently and as part of a diverse team

Desirable:

• Experience working with low-frequency and/or VLBI observations, particularly LOFAR-VLBI
• Knowledge of radio-galaxy physics and/or physics and observations of AGN feedback 

The full summary of skills and experience required for the role can be found in the Job Description here.
If you would like to discuss this role in more detail please email judith.croston@open.ac.uk or the recruitment team at careers@open.ac.uk. 

To apply for this role please submit your CV with a personal statement (up to 1,000 words). You should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.

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