Postdoctoral Research Associates (x3 posts)

Applications are invited for 3 Postdoctoral Research Associates as part of the UKRI-funded ERC Advanced Grant project MARGO  “Mining the Archaeological Record in Galaxy Outskirts”, led by Professor Annette Ferguson. The positions will be based at the Institute for Astronomy, within the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh. 

The Opportunity:

The project focuses on quantifying and interpreting the fossil record of galaxy formation that is contained in stellar halos and using this information to test predictions about the hierarchical growth of galaxies. Two positions will involve exploiting state-of-the-art observational data from ground and space-based facilities to conduct resolved stellar population studies of the stellar halos of nearby galaxies, including searches for globular clusters and satellite galaxies. A third position is available to analyse, develop, run and compare simulations of galaxy formation within a cosmological context, generating stellar halo and tidal feature predictions that can be compared to the latest observations.  This position will be co-supervised by Professor Romeel Davé.

The posts are full-time (35 hours per week). We are open to considering flexible working patterns or requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.  

Funding is available for 3 years with the role starting any time between March-November 2025.

The School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce, and eliminating discrimination.
The School strives to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace for all and we are looking to actively diversify our staff. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and in particular encourage applications from people of colour, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people and other minority and under-represented groups. We aim to ensure that our culture and systems support flexible and family-friendly working, as evidenced by our Juno Champion and Athena SWAN Silver awards.

The salary for this post is £40,247- £47,874 per annum.

Your skills and attributes for success: 

• PhD (or near completion) in Astronomy or a related subject, and relevant research experience in the field of galaxy archaeology, such as studies of stellar halos, globular star clusters, dwarf galaxies, tidal streams. 
• Depending on position applied for, prior experience with resolved stellar populations analyses, PSF-fitting photometry and pipelines or working with cosmological hydrodynamical simulations (particularly zooms). 
• Record of high-quality lead-author and co-authored refereed journal publications (relative to career stage). 
• Highly-motivated with a good level of independence and creativity.
• Excellent written and oral scientific communication skills.

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