Research Fellow in Supernova Cosmology

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,130 to £45,413 with potential progression once in post to £48,149

Contract Type: Fixed Term contract up to August 2028

Background

The University of Birmingham Astrophysics and Space Research group is looking for one or more postdoctoral Research Fellows to work on cosmology transient surveys and strong lensing. The position(s) are open to work with the group of Dr. Suhail Dhawan on the UKRI/ERC project NGCOSMO. 

The projects can include (but not limited to): 

• Inference of H0 with strong gravitationally lensed supernovae
• The local distance ladder measurement of H0
• Synergies between LSST and Euclid surveys 
• Constraints on spatial curvature and cosmology with DESI

We are members of LSST and Euclid and the applicant will also have access to independent programs with SOAR, Liverpool telescope, GTC, VLT and 4MOST as well as JWST/HST programs as part of large and diverse international collaborations. There are ample supercomputing resources from both local and international collaborative facilities. The position comes with a generous allowance to cover travels to conferences and research visits, and guaranteed access to the university’s high-performance supercomputer BlueBEAR. Additionally, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to supervise students, acquire teaching experience, participate in outreach activities, organize international meetings, and get any support or training needed for their personal and career development.

The School of Physics and Astronomy is a world-leading physics department, excelling in both research and teaching. It hosts over 130 academic and research staff, around 50 technical and support staff, and over 130 graduate students. Our physics research was recently ranked top in the UK for 4-star-category research by the national Research Excellence Framework 2021 exercise. 

The School is an Institute of Physics Juno Champion since 2014 and holder of an Athena SWAN Silver Award. Both initiatives recognise the School’s commitment to promote equality and diversity, and to encourage better practice for all members of the community, whilst also working towards developing an equitable working culture in which all staff can achieve their full potential. We welcome applications from all qualified applicants, and encourage applications from traditionally under-represented groups in Physics and Astronomy including, but not limited to, women and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups. 

Applications must include a CV, statement of past and future research (no more than 2 pages in total), a brief cover letter and arrange to have three recommendations to be sent by email to Nicola Holloway (n.holloway@bham.ac.uk) by the application deadline. 

Person Specification

• First degree in area of specialism and normally, a higher degree relevant to research area or equivalent qualifications
• PhD (or near to completion) in Physics or a related field
• Expertise in observations and theoretical modelling of strongly gravitationally lensed transients and their use in cosmology to measure the Hubble Constant
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly

Informal enquiries can be made to Suhail Dhawan, email: s.dhawan@bham.ac.uk 

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the 'Apply' button above.

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment
We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

Closes: 15/04/2025

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