Research Assistant/Associate in Exoplanetary Remote Sensing and Data Science (Fixed Term)

Department/Location: Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge

Fixed-term: The appointment will be made for two years in the first instance, with the possibility for extension up to one year.

Applications are invited for a UKRI funded postdoctoral position at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, to work within the research group of Prof. Nikku Madhusudhan. The group has extensive expertise and interests in exoplanetary science across areas related to exoplanetary atmospheres, interiors and habitability, in both observational and theoretical areas. The present position will focus on characterizing low-mass exoplanets in the sub-Neptune regime using observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and other facilities. One or more positions will be available in areas related to exoplanetary remote sensing and data science, including data reduction and analyses, statistical methods and software development.

Applicants are expected to have strong expertise in one or more of the following areas: (1) Astronomical spectroscopy, preferably exoplanet spectroscopy using HST, JWST, large ground-based telescopes and/or other facilities at low or high resolution, including data reduction and time series analyses, (2) Earth or planetary remote sensing,  (3) Data science approaches, including statistical methods, handling of large datasets, pipeline development and/or machine learning (4) Full stack software development in relevant applications, including system analysis, design, implementation, testing and deployment. Candidates with limited experience in exoplanetary science but with strong relevant expertise in other areas listed above are welcome to apply.

Applicants must have a PhD in Astronomy, Physics, Computer Science, Engineering or a related field, or have satisfied the requirements for PhD, by the time of appointment. Successful candidates will be expected to pursue a competitive research program in a collegial environment and have strong communication and computing skills. A successful candidate with a PhD will be appointed at Grade 7 (Research Associate - £37,694 to £46,049 per annum). A candidate who has not been awarded their PhD will initially be appointed at Grade 5 (Research Assistant - £34,610 to £35,608 per annum) and, upon award of PhD, promoted to Grade 7. 

The University of Cambridge thrives on the diversity of its staff and students. Applications from underrepresented groups are particularly welcome. We have an active Equality and Diversity Committee which continually works to further the aims of the Athena SWAN charter. The University has a number of family-friendly policies and initiatives, including a returning-career scheme, childcare costs support, university workplace nurseries, university holiday play-schemes, and a shared parental-leave policy. As part of its commitment to providing a family-friendly environment for researchers, the IoA ensures that should parental leave be needed during the course of employment, there is provision for extension to contract to compensate for the parental leave taken.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click on the 'Apply' button above. 

Please reference LG48101 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy. 

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. 

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. 

This role is supported by a UKRI Frontier Grant.

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