Postdoctoral Research Position on Stellar Dynamical Archeology

The Department of Astrophysics at the University of Vienna is offering a 4-year postdoctoral research position on stellar dynamical archeology in the group of Prof. Glenn van de Ven.

We seek an outstanding candidate to work in our research team to further develop and apply our novel population-dynamical models to nearby galaxies observed with integral-field unit spectrographs. By fitting simultaneously the extracted stellar motions and population properties, the aim is to uncover the luminous and dark matter distribution of these galaxies as well as to unravel their formation history.

We offer a stimulating research environment with staff working in various areas of astrophysics. Our team has privileged access to the Vienna Scientific Cluster super-computing facility. As a member state of ESO and ESA, Austria has access to their first-class observing facilities. Generous financial support for computing equipment and travel is available.

You should have a Doctoral/PhD degree in astronomy or astrophysics with affinity for programming, or in computer science or applied mathematics with affinity for astronomy. Expertise in dynamical modelling and stellar spectroscopy are assets, while good programming skills are highly desirable. Participation in teaching and supervision of students is requested, and excellent communication skills in English is required.

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity. The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants.