Postdoc in Observations of the High-Redshift Universe

About us

The Astrophysics Group is one of the largest in the UK, comprising about 130 members of academic, research and support staff, of which 21 are academic staff members. Our research areas cover galaxy formation and evolution, cosmology, gravitational waves, massive stars, star formation and stellar evolution, interstellar and circumstellar processes, exo-planetary and planetary science, atmospheric physics and instrumentation. UCL's Department of Physics & Astronomy has a strong track record of investment and scientific leadership in facilities such as JWST, DES, DESI, 4MOST, Euclid, Ariel, Rubin-LSST, PFS, JCMT, Litebird as well as participation at co-I level of instruments on large explorer mission concepts such as Cassini and JUICE with participation in many other mission and instrument concept designs.

About the role

This position is for a 3-year PDRA (starting date between 1st January and 1st April 2027, by mutual agreement) in the Astrophysics Group of UCL’s Department of Physics & Astronomy, working in Dr. Guido Roberts-Borsani’s group on galaxy formation and evolution in the first billion years with the James Webb Space Telescope, as part of the OMEGA project funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant. The successful applicant will carry out high-impact research on the interstellar medium, stellar, and black hole properties of high-redshift galaxies, using JWST spectroscopy from the PI's approved programmes (in particular DAJE-JWST and OMEGA-JWST) to advance our understanding of galaxy properties and chemical enrichment from cosmic reionization to cosmic dawn. Depending on the project's needs and the candidate's expertise, the research will address one or more of OMEGA's core themes: the ionisation structure of the interstellar medium and robust metallicit y measurements; the physical origins of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen (CNO) abundance ratios; the burstiness and modes of star formation at high redshift; and the pace at which early galaxies built up their chemical reservoirs. In addition to producing first-author publications, the PDRA is also expected to develop their own research ideas and telescope proposals, engage and coordinate with the PI’s existing collaborations, contribute to the social and intellectual life of the wider Astrophysics Group, and support the supervision of PhD students working on related themes.

All applications require the following documents compiled as a single PDF (submitted as the mandatory CV attachment in the application portal):

• Cover letter
• CV
• Research statement (max 3 pages)
• List of publications

All applications also require 2 letters of reference to be sent separately by the referees via email to Guido Roberts-Borsani ()

For any enquiries related to the position, please contact Guido Roberts-Borsani () or Kay Nakum ().

About you

The successful candidate will hold (or be close to completing) a PhD in astrophysics, with a strong track record of observational extragalactic research and publications in leading peer-reviewed journals. They will have experience analysing spectroscopic and/or photometric data from JWST (experience with other major observatories such as HST, Keck, VLT, or ALMA, is a bonus), and strong working knowledge of ISM physics of high-redshift galaxies. Programming and data-analysis skills are essentials, as is the ability to plan and prioritise their own research, work well under tight deadlines, coordinating between international collaborations, and deliver high-quality results. Experience presenting published works at conferences and preparing successful telescope proposals is considered an advantage.

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