Postdoctoral Research Fellow

FTE: 1.0 (working 37 hours per week)

Duration of Contract: Fixed term (48 months)

Salary: UH7 £38,249 to £45,413 pa by annual increments on achieving designated skills and experience

Annual Leave: 35 days plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location: College Lane campus, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Main duties and responsibilities 

Applications are invited for a 48-month postdoctoral position to lead and publish original scientific investigations in the area of holistic radio source classification in the golden age of astronomical radio surveys. This successful applicant will develop spectral fitting algorithms based on the Prospector SED fitting code (or similar) tailored for considering spectrosocopic data from new massively-multiplexed surveys including DESI, WEAVE-LOFAR and ORCHIDSS alongside photometry (from legacy data sets as well as Euclid and LSST/Rubin) to produce probabilistic source classifications for radio source identified in new ‘golden-age’ radio surveys such as LoTSS and MIGHTEE. The post holder will use the results of this fitting to produce the definitive measurement of the nature of the faint radio source population over the last eight billion years of cosmic history, including not only source demographics, but also the space density for sources dominated by star formation as well as by different black-hole accretion modes.

Skill and experience required 

You will have an impressive track record of relevant research into galaxies and active galactic nuclei, including experience of spectral/multi-wavelength modelling of the physical properties of radio sources at cosmological distances using a relevant fitting code such as Prospector. You will also have a record of submitting/publishing scientific research in leading astronomical journals, as well as experience of scientific programming in Python. The ideal candidate will be an early-career researcher, perhaps in the final stages of their doctorate.

Qualifications required

A minimum of a degree at a minimum of 2:2 (or equivalent level 6 qualification) or master’s qualification in a relevant discipline. Must have submitted their PhD thesis (or equivalent level 8 qualification) by the start date.

Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria. Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.

An appointment to this role may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

This post cannot be visa sponsored unless the applicant has a PhD / Doctorate.

Contact Details/Informal Enquiries: For more information or to discuss the post, please contact Professor Dan Smith (d.j.b.smith@herts.ac.uk)

Closing Date: 08 May 2025

Interview Date: TBC

Our vision is to transform lives: UH is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and building a diverse community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of their protected characteristics, and recognise there are different ways applicants may achieve the criteria in this document. We offer a range of employee benefits including generous annual leave, flexible location opportunities within the UK, discounted Sports Village memberships and free Active Staff sessions, personal and professional development and family-friendly policies. #GoHerts

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