Research Assistant/Associate in GaiaUnlimited (Fixed Term)

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for two years in the first instance. The anticipated start date of the appointment is expected to be as early as January 2023 and no later than 1st April 2023.

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge to work on the survey selection function for the Gaia mission. The research will be done as part of the GaiaUnlimited project. The aim is to research, develop, and implement the Gaia survey selection function, as well as selection functions for Gaia combined with other surveys. This will result in publicly available data products and open- source code to apply the selection functions to astronomical analyses of the Gaia data.

The successful candidate will work in Prof Vasily Belokurov's group; frequent interaction with the Cambridge Gaia team is envisaged. The work will be carried out in collaboration with the international partners in GaiaUnlimited, and will be embedded within the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium.

The successful candidate 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.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in astronomy, physics, computer science, or mathematics and have a strong background in data analysis. Experience with constructing or applying survey selection functions will be an advantage.

A successful candidate who has not been awarded their PhD will be appointed at Grade 5, (Research Assistant - £27,929 to £32,348 per annum) and upon award, promoted to Grade 7, (Research Associate - £34,308 to £42,155 per annum)

Click the URL link below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

The closing date for applications is 23:59 GMT on Thursday, 15th December 2022. Please refer to further particulars for full instructions and be aware that referees will be asked to supply references by 22nd December 2022. If you have any queries about your application please contact (hr(at)ast.cam.ac.uk). Informal enquires may be addressed to Professor Vasily Belokurov (vasily(at)ast.cam.ac.uk)

Please quote reference LG34090 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.