Location: Portsmouth
Salary: £28,982 to £32,600 per annum
Hours: Full Time
Contract Type: Contract / Temporary
Placed on: 25th November 2015
Closes: 18th January 2016
Job Ref: 10016986
Employment type: Fixed term contract for 3 years

Interview dates: Interviews will be scheduled between 25 and 29 January 2016.

The Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation intends to appoint an STFC funded Postdoctoral Researcher with expertise in galaxy evolution and integral field unit (IFU) spectroscopy to support its research in the Faculty of Technology at the University of Portsmouth.

The successful applicant will work on the project Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA), which is part of the fourth generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) being conducted on the Sloan 2.5m Telescope. MaNGA is an optical fiber-based multi-object IFU that is targeting 10,000 galaxies over a 6 year campaign that has started in 2014. MaNGA allows spatially resolved studies of stellar populations, gas physics and kinematics in galaxies in the multi-parameter space of galaxy properties, local environment, and halo mass for the very first time. The successful candidate will participate in the scientific analysis of MaNGA data with Dr Daniel Thomas and Prof Claudia Maraston within the SDSS-IV collaboration. A PhD in astronomy or physics is required. Expertise in galaxy evolution studies is essential, and experience with IFU observations and analysis will be considered an advantage.

The ICG consists of 12 academic staff, 19 postdoctoral researchers and over 20 PhD students, and has an active international visitors programme. Portsmouth is an institutional member of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys (SDSS-III and SDSS-IV), DES, LSST and DESI. The University of Portsmouth is a member of the South-East Physics Network (SEPnet) and hosts the 3700-core SEPnet-ASTRO supercomputer (SCIAMA). More information is available at http://www.icg.port.ac.uk.

The start date will be September 2016 or earlier if possible. The details of the position are described in the job description and person specification which are available from the University of Portsmouth online application system at https://port.engageats.co.uk. Applications (application form, CV, publication list and research statement) should be submitted via the online application system by the closing date. Applicants should also arrange for three reference letters to be sent by email to icg-admin@port.ac.uk, to arrive by the same closing date.

Late applications may be considered; please contact the HR Recruitment team via hrrecruitment@port.ac.uk for details on how to apply.

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants, but applications are particularly encouraged from traditionally under-represented groups in science. The University of Portsmouth holds an Athena SWAN bronze award and is an Institute of Physics Project Juno Supporter; these projects show a commitment to introduce organisational and cultural practices that promote gender equality in science and create a better working environment for men and women.

For informal enquiries please contact Daniel Thomas or Claudia Maraston via email at daniel.thomas@port.ac.uk or claudia.maraston@port.ac.uk.

For detailed information about the vacancy, please select this link: 10016986 – Senior Research Associate.doc