Postdoctoral Fellow in Cosmology

About the position

Applicants are invited for a 3-year position as Postdoctoral Fellow in cosmology to be based at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics,. Starting date is flexible, but at least partial availability from September 1st 2024 is preferable, so that the selected candidate can participate in the two-week AST9240 course and the Cosmoglobe 2024 meeting

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.

Knowledge development in a changing world - Science and technology towards 2030.

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Job description / Project description / Development plan:

This position is funded by an ERC AdG called “Commander”, and is associated with the CMB&CO research group at the University of Oslo. This group focuses on data analysis of past, current and future cosmological data sets as organized within the Cosmoglobe project. As a postdoctoral fellow in this group, you will be part of a large and active community working together to model and understand the physics of the universe from the Milky Way to the Big Bang. Currently the group consists of 4 permanent staff members, 1 post-doctoral fellow, 5 PhD students, and 3 Master students, and we expect to be announcing several more positions in the near future. We have a collaborative work environment with active mentoring, frequent group meetings and a social atmosphere, and value a gender balanced and inclusive environment. Central research projects include AKARI, COMAP, DIRBE, FIRAS, LiteBIRD, PASIPHAE, Planck, Simons Observatory, SPIDER, and multi-experiment work is highly encouraged. The group has a large international network of collaborators, and as a postdoctoral fellow you will have many opportunities to travel and collaborate with researchers at other institutions.

A main goal of the current postdoctoral fellowship is to explore joint analysis between existing and next-generation CMB experiments, with a particular emphasis on Simons Observatory and Planck. However, we also encourage the successful candidate to explore independent research avenues, and, ideally, combine these with complementary on-going efforts within the Cosmoglobe umbrella.

More relevant information is available here:

https://www.mn.uio.no/astro/english/research/research-projects/cmbco

http://cosmoglobe.uio.no

https://github.com/cosmoglobe

https://www.mn.uio.no/astro/english/research/research-projects/comap

The appointment is a fulltime position and is made for a period of up to three years (10% of which is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of teaching activities). The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines. The successful candidate is encouraged to participate actively in supervision of PhD and Master students, and thereby gain valuable supervision experience. Similarly, we encourage postdoctoral fellows in our group to apply for external funding, and we provide active support to this aim.

Qualification requirements:

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in astronomy, physics, statistics, informatics or related topics. Candidates are encouraged to apply before the completion of their PhD degree, as long as their doctoral thesis and public defense are completed before the starting date
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English and a Scandinavian language

Personal skills:

As a postdoctoral fellow in this position, much of your job will consist of independent problem solving in collaboration with the rest of the group. You will be working on problem solving, programming, data modelling and analysis, scientific writing, and public presentation. Specific technologies that are commonly used in the group include Fortran, Python, high-performance computing, MPI, OpenMP, Commander, Git, and Latex. Familiarity with some of the concepts will be an asset, but is not required at the time of application.

We offer:

• Salary NOK 575 400-657 400 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (position code 1352)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
• Professionally stimulating working environment
• Vibrant international academic environment
• Postdoctoral development programmes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

The application must include:

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
• A complete list of publications
• Source code of a self-written computer program, or a link to a GitHub repository or similar
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations:

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months ( thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years)

No one can be appointed for more than one specified period at the same institution. According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

Contact persons:

For further information about the position please contact:

Professor Hans Kristian Eriksen, phone number: +47 928 47 663, e-mail: h.k.k.eriksen@astro.uio.no

Professor Ingunn Kathrine Wehus, e-mail: i.k.wehus@astro.uio.no

Dr. Sigurd Næss, e-mail: s.k.nass@astro.uio.no

Dr. Eirik Gjerløw, e-mail: eirik.gjerlow@astro.uio.no

For questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Elin Thoresen , e-mail: elin.thoresen@mn.uio.no