Postdoctoral Research Associate
hace 14 días
Durham
Working at Durham University A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other. As one of the UK's leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it's also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community. Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential. Our Purpose and Values We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all. Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page The Role and Department The Department of Physics at Durham University is one of the leading UK Physics departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. The Department is committed to advancing equality and we aim to ensure that our culture is inclusive, and that our systems support flexible and family-friendly working, as recognized by our Juno Champion and Athena SWAN Silver awards. We recognise and value the benefits of diversity throughout our staff and students. Durham University hosts one of Europe's largest and most active research groups working in the fields of observational and theoretical extragalactic astronomy, cosmology, and instrumentation. Currently we have about 35 permanent members of academic staff, around 100 postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate students, and several research-active emeritus staff. We have access to all UK national observing facilities, including ESO, ALMA and ESA, and membership of the KMOS, NuSTAR, XRISM, LOFAR, PAUS, and MOONS teams. Durham is also a partner of the DESI, 4MOST, WEAVE, Euclid, LSST, JCMT, HARMONI, and e-MERLIN collaborations and surveys. We are part of the Virgo Consortium and host extensive supercomputing resources, including the "Cosmology Machine", some of which is part of the DiRAC national supercomputing facility. Further information may be found at . The Role Two posts are available. One is funded by the European Research Council (ERC), to start in October 2026, for a period of 3 years. The other is funded by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), to start in June 2026, for a period of 3 years. Successful candidates will join thriving research teams within the Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) at Durham. The ICC is a leading group in computational cosmology research, having previously played key roles in the development of simulation techniques for dark matter, dark energy and galaxy formation, and in the establishment of the Lambda cold dark matter (LCDM) model, and has continued to be at the forefront of cosmology research. We are particularly interested in candidates with research interests in the following areas: • ERC post: Cosmological tests of dark energy and modified gravity (contact: Baojiu Li), • UKRI post: The use of cosmological simulations in the analysis of large-scale structure and galaxy redshift surveys, topics in the galaxy-halo connection, and field-level inference (contact: Sownak Bose) Benefits of these roles include: • opportunity to undertake high quality research with connection to impact;, • working closely with people with extensive experience in theoretical, computational and observational cosmology in the wider astronomy group where collaborations are actively encouraged;, • opportunity to develop leadership skills, teaching experiences, and personal networks;, • time for career development, training and development of independent research ideas. The post holder will be expected to display the initiative and creativity, together with the appropriate skills and knowledge required, to lead and develop the research activities to meet the project goals. The post holder will be expected to be familiar with theoretical and computational cosmology, with first-hand experiences in the above-mentioned areas. The post holder is expected to be able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team. It is expected that, where appropriate, the post holder will enhance the international contacts of the group through the presentation of work at international workshops and conferences. The post holder is further expected to aid in the supervision of postgraduate students within the group, as well as contributing to the undergraduate teaching within the Department. Enquiries are welcome and should please be directed to or to Baojiu Li () and Sownak Bose (). All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence. Key responsibilities: • To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications., • To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences., • To engage with the ICC and the wider astronomy group, and attend group activities where appropriate., • To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder., • To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals., • To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder., • To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio., • To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions., • To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration., • To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects., • To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate., • To be involved in student supervision, as appropriate, and assist with the assessment of the knowledge of students., • To contribute to fostering a collegial working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect., • To engage in citizenship to support the department and wider discipline., • To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses., • To communicate and collaborate with the industrial collaborators. The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols. Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by [date} Working at Durham A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: • You'll receive 30 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year., • We offer a generous pension scheme, and as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS)., • No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost-effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance., • We have a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities., • We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme., • Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16., • Our family-friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers)., • We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community., • You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions., • Various salary sacrifice schemes are also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our Purpose and Values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups. If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application. The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Leader status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. Contact Information Department contact for academic-related enquiries For enquiries please contact or Professor Baojiu Li at () and Sownak Bose (). All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence. We prefer to receive applications online via the Durham University Vacancies Site. . As part of the application process, you should provide details of 3 (preferably academic/research) referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference. Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University. Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with abrief description of the problem you're experiencing Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays). University contact for general queries about the recruitment process How to Apply To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview. Submitting your application We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates. What to Submit All applicants are asked to submit: • A CV and covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;, • List of Publications, • A Research Proposal Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department. The assessment for the post will normally include an interview and we anticipate that these will take place at the end of January/early February. In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data. When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas. Person Specification Any changes to the criteria need to be highlighted. Dept can contextualise Essential Criteria: Qualifications • A good first degree in Physics, Astronomy or a related subject., • Experience in conducting high quality academic research., • Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals. 5. Demonstrable ability to present research papers at (international) conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community., 6. Demonstrable ability to collaborate with industrial partners., 7. Knowledge, or willingness to learn, of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure fair and equal treatment., 8. To have worked on theoretical, numerical or observational studies of cosmology and galaxy formation. Skills • Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings., • Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines., • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Desirable Criteria - Depts may wish to make some/all of these criteria essential and can delete these criteria if considered appropriate. Experience • Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career., • A track record of presenting research at conferences, symposia, or meetings, commensurate with stage of career., • Demonstrable ability to develop research proposals and designs in collaboration with other academics., • Experience of overseeing students with respect to the development of their practical/research skills e.g. acting as a demonstrator; supervising student projects/practicals. 14. Experience of supercomputing and/or cosmological simulations/observations and their data analysis. Skills Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research.