Vacancies

The Institute of Astronomy offers a number of PhD and Masters opportunities each year. Details of these can be found on the admissions pages.

Current and previous employment opportunities at the Institute can be found below.

Open Vacancies

Research Assistant/Associate in 21-cm Cosmology and High-Redshift Universe (Fixed Term)

Published on 10/01/2022

Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

Reference:

LG29652

Salary:

£27,116-£31,406 or £31,406-£40,927

Tenure:

2 years in the first instance

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for two years in the first instance.

The Institute of Astronomy (IoA) expects to appoint a postdoctoral researcher to work with Dr Anastasia Fialkov. The research will encompass a wide range of topics related to 21-cm cosmology, cosmic dawn, reionization and other aspects of high redshift Universe. The research will be on either theory and modelling, linking theory to data, or observations and statistical aspects of data analysis. Fialkov is a member in a number of observational collaborations including HERA, REACH, LEDA, NenuFAR, SKA and is collaborating with SARAS, EDGES and LOFAR. The successful applicant would complement the team already working on the programme, and join a growing concentration of researchers in Cambridge working on topics related to 21-cm cosmology and the studies of the high-redshift Universe. Synergies with groups undertaking complementary research are being fostered within the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge.

Application Information:

Click 'Apply' to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online. Please submit your application by 23:59 GMT of the closing date of Friday 4th February 2022. Please refer to further particulars for full instructions and be aware that referees will be asked to supply reference letters by Wednesday 8th February. If you have any queries about your application please contact Ms Joy McSharry (hr(at)ast.cam.ac.uk). Informal enquires may be addressed to Dr Anastasia Fialkov (afialkov(at)ast.cam.ac.uk). Please quote reference LG29652 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.

Application Deadline Date:

4 February 2022

Application Deadline Information:

Applications to be received by midnight GMT

Summer internships

Published on 17/12/2021

Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

Salary:

The National Living Wage

Starting Date:

Summer 2022

Tenure:

8 Weeks

The Institute of Astronomy’s summer internship programme aims to provide undergraduate interns with research experience over the summer by working on projects supervised by a member of the Institute. It is expected that the internships will be carried out in person at the Institute, however if the pandemic situation prevents this, the internships will be conducted online and remotely. The internships are targeted at students who will have completed three years of study in their four-year integrated masters (England, Northern Ireland, Wales) or four years of study in their five-year integrated masters (Scotland). Students from any UK university are welcome to apply.

Students interested in undertaking projects in any of the research areas covered at the Institute of Astronomy who meet the criteria above are encouraged to apply by Sunday, 13 March 2022 (see http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/research for a description of research carried out at the Institute and https://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/students/summer.research.programme for examples of past projects). Selection will be based on academic merit, and on knowledge and experience relevant to the projects. A decision can be expected by the end of April 2022. Successful candidates will be paid the National Living Wage for the eight-week duration of the projects.

The University of Cambridge and the Institute of Astronomy are committed to equality of opportunity and to a proactive and inclusive approach to equality, which supports and encourages all under-represented groups, promotes an inclusive culture, and values diversity. We particularly welcome applications to this program from groups that are underrepresented at Cambridge, or in astronomy as a whole. To read more about the Equality and Diversity policies at the University please see Equality & Diversity at the University of Cambridge. For information on Equality and Diversity at the Institute of Astronomy, see here.

Please note, you will be required to prove you hold the right to work in the UK via a relevant immigration status in order to be eligible for this internship. Also note that in the event that the internships are held remotely, you would still need to be resident in the UK during the internship.

Application Information: Applications should include: i) a statement of interest, including an indication of the desired project area(s), maximum length one page, and ii) a CV, maximum length two pages, sent to undergraduate.admin@ast.cam.ac.uk by the deadline. You should also ask an academic referee to send a reference letter to the same address by the deadline. If appropriate to their situation, we encourage students to give brief details of how personal circumstances may have affected their academic career to date, through, for example, caring commitments, illness, enforced career breaks or economic hardship. This can be included in the statement of interest and would not count towards the page limit.

Application Deadline Date:

13 March 2022

Application Deadline Information:

Applications to be received by midnight.

Closed Vacancies

Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Research Fellow x 2 (Fixed Term)

Published on 03/01/2022

Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

Reference:

LG28322

Salary:

£33,309-£40,927

Starting Date:

from 1 October 2022 (or otherwise by negotiation)

Tenure:

3 years in the first instance

The Managers of the Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Fund invite applications for up to two Fellowships which would be held in Departments in the School of the Physical Sciences (SPS) at the University of Cambridge from 1 October 2022 (or otherwise by negotiation). Fellows are required to pursue their research on a full-time basis in Cambridge.

Application Information:

Click 'Apply' to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please submit your application by 23:59 BST of the closing date of Wednesday, 1st December 2021. If you have any queries about your application please contact Ms Joy McSharry (hr(at)ast.cam.ac.uk).

Further information about the vacancy can be obtained from Ms Paulina Pieprzyca (pp453(at)cam.ac.uk)

Please quote reference LG28322 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.

Application Deadline Date:

1 December 2021

Application Deadline Information:

Applications to be received by midnight BST

Research Assistant/Associate in CMB Cosmology (Fixed Term)

Published on 24/11/2021

Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

Reference:

LG29153

Salary:

£27,116 - £31,406 or £33,309 - £40,927

Starting Date:

TBA

Tenure:

3 years in the first instance

The Institute of Astronomy (IoA), Cambridge, invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher position in cosmic microwave background (CMB) cosmology to work within Anthony Challinor's group. The research will be focused on scientific interpretation of the first temperature and polarization data from the Simons Observatory and its combination with other CMB and large-scale structure datasets.

The IoA provides a vibrant research environment in cosmology. The interdepartmental Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge (KICC) is co-located on the IoA site, fostering connections with other groups conducting complementary cosmological research across Cambridge.

The successful applicant will be expected to pursue independent and collaborative research, develop a high degree of interaction with the faculty, other postdoctoral researchers, and research students, and actively contribute to the life of the department and of KICC. They will disseminate their research findings via publications or other appropriate media, such as international workshops and conferences. They will be encouraged to participate in the teaching and learning programmes of the department as well as in the supervision of postgraduate research students and outreach events.

For the present position, expertise in the analysis of CMB data, or other cosmological datasets, would be particularly valuable. Candidates with experience of CMB lensing, CMB polarization or cluster cosmology may be of particular interest.

Application Information:

Click 'Apply' to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please submit your application by 23:59 GMT of the closing date of Wednesday 22nd December 2021. Please refer to further particulars for full instructions and be aware that referees will be asked to supply reference letters by 4th January 2022. If you have any queries about your application please contact Ms Joy McSharry (hr(at)ast.cam.ac.uk). Informal enquires may be addressed to Professor Anthony Challinor (a.d.challinor(at)ast.cam.ac.uk).

Please quote reference LG29153 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.

Application Deadline Date:

22 December 2021

Application Deadline Information:

Applications to be received by midnight GMT

Research Assistant/Associate in Debris Disks (Fixed Term)

Published on 24/11/2021

Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

Reference:

LG29142

Salary:

£27,116 - £31,406 or £33,309 - £40,927

Starting Date:

TBA

Tenure:

3 years in the first instance

The Institute of Astronomy (IoA) at the West Cambridge site has a vacancy for a postdoctoral researcher to collaborate with Professor Mark Wyatt on a programme seeking to understand the nature of the planetary systems of nearby stars through study of their debris disks and exozodi. The research covers both observations of nearby stars (e.g., with ALMA, LBTI, VLTI, JWST), and analytical and numerical modelling of debris disks (e.g., dynamical interactions with planets, collisional evolution and fragmentation, gas disk evolution), and aims to forge strong links to the fields of planet formation, extrasolar planets and proto-planetary disks. The successful applicant would complement the team already working on the programme, and join a growing concentration of researchers in Cambridge working on topics related to extrasolar planets and disks. Synergies with groups undertaking complementary research are being fostered within the interdepartmental Cambridge Exoplanet Research Centre (https://exoplanets.phy.cam.ac.uk/), and the newly established Cambridge Initiative for Planetary Science and Life in the Universe (https://www.iplu.phy.cam.ac.uk/) provides further links to interdisciplinary work in this area.

Application Information:

Click 'Apply' to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please quote reference LG29142 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.

Application Deadline Date:

22 December 2021

Application Deadline Information:

Applications to be received by midnight GMT

Research Assistant/Associate in Protoplanetary Discs (Fixed Term)

Published on 24/11/2021

Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

Reference:

LG29122

Salary:

£27,116 - £31,406 or £33,309 - £40,927

Starting Date:

TBA

Tenure:

3 years in the first instance

We are offering a STFC funded postdoctoral position at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge to work within the Discsim group of Cathie Clarke, which focuses on simulations of dust and gas in protoplanetary discs and their comparison with observational data. The IoA offers a vibrant research environment for protoplanetary disc studies, with synergies with groups undertaking complementary research in debris discs and in protoplanetary disc theory being fostered within the interdepartmental Cambridge Exoplanet Research Centre (https://exoplanets.phy.cam.ac.uk/). The newly established Cambridge Initiative for Planetary Science and Life in the Universe (https://www.iplu.phy.cam.ac.uk/) provides further linkage to interdisciplinary work in this area.

For the present position, expertise in radiative transfer modeling would be particularly valuable; other skills that could benefit the project include experience with the analysis of imaging data or else wider experience of hydrodynamical modeling. In addition to leadership of the core projects (which involve radiative transfer modeling as a step in linking hydrodynamical simulations with scattered light and submm continuum data for protoplanetary discs) applicants are encouraged to develop independent research programs.

Application Information:

Click 'Apply' to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please quote reference LG29122 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.

Application Deadline Date:

22 December 2021

Application Deadline Information:

Applications to be received by midnight GMT

Research Assistant/Associate in Galaxy Formation (Fixed Term)

Published on 24/11/2021

Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge

Reference:

LG29119

Salary:

£27,116 - £31,406 or £33,309 - £40,927

Starting Date:

TBA

Tenure:

3 years in the first instance

The Institute of Astronomy (IoA) expects to appoint a postdoctoral researcher to work in Professor Debora Sijacki's group. The research will encompass a wide range of issues relating to black hole and galaxy formation at high redshifts, their cosmic evolution to the present day and the impact of supermassive black holes on galaxy mergers and galaxy clusters. The research will involve extensive hydrodynamical simulations as well as linkage to observational data. Substantial experience in N-body/hydrodynamical modelling is thus highly desirable for this position.

The successful applicant will be expected to pursue independent and collaborative research, develop a high degree of interaction with the faculty, postdoctoral researchers and research students, and actively contribute to the life of the department. They will disseminate their research findings via publications or other appropriate media, such as international workshops and conferences. They will be encouraged to participate in the teaching and learning programmes of the department as well as in the supervision of postgraduate research students and outreach events.

Application Information:

Click 'Apply' to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please submit your application by 23:59 GMT of the closing date of Monday 20th December 2021. Please refer to further particulars for full instructions and be aware that referees will be asked to supply reference letters by 23rd December 2021. If you have any queries about your application please contact Ms Joy McSharry (hr(at)ast.cam.ac.uk). Informal enquires may be addressed to Professor Debora Sijacki (deboras(at)ast.cam.ac.uk).

Please quote reference LG29119 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.

Application Deadline Date:

20 December 2021

Application Deadline Information:

Applications to be received by midnight GMT