Postdoctoral Research Fellow in stellar astrophysics
Deadline: 15.03.2026
Publisert
The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 26 500 students and 7 200 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.
Centre for Planetary Habitability (PHAB) is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence that provides a stimulating and well-funded research environment. PHAB’s main goal, based on detailed studies of Earth and our solar system, is to develop predictive models to identify habitable planets around other stars. PHAB research activities comprise three interrelated research themes: (1) Planets and Early Earth, (2) Modern Earth and (3) Exo-Earths. The centre was established in 2023 and will consist of approximately 70 full time and part time professors and researchers, PhD Research Fellows and Postdoctoral Research Fellows.
About the position
Position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow available at the Centre for Planetary Habitability (PHAB), Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo (UiO).
Starting date no later than October 1, 2026.
The appointment is a fulltime position and is for a period of three years (10% of which is devoted to other career promoting work, usually in the form of teaching activities).
No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.
Place of work is PHAB, the Department of Geosciences, Blindern, Oslo.
Project description
The Centre for Planetary Habitability (PHAB), a Norwegian Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway, is organised as a section at the Department of Geosciences. PHAB’s main goal is to develop predictive models to identify habitable planets around other stars. Within three different research themes: (1) Planets and Early Earth, (2) Modern Earth, and (3) Exo-Earths, we are keen to explore the internal and external driving forces that make a planet habitable and inhabited.
We are looking for motivated postdoc candidates to join the research group of Associate Prof. Konstantin Herbst. The focus of this group is on modelling the impact of stellar space weather on the habitability of exoplanets.
The successful candidate will work on one (or more) of the following fields:
Observing and characterizing stellar activity phenomena, particularly transient events like flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). This will involve using ground-based telescopes or space observatories, including Kepler, K2, TESS, and the upcoming PLATO mission.
Characterising the activity and surface magnetism of cool stars, as well as searching for magnetic activity cycles in sun-like stars through photometric, spectroscopic, and spectropolarimetric observations.
Studying the rotation of solar-like stars, including latitudinal differential rotation, and leading the asteroseismic analysis of these stars, which encompasses data analysis, stellar modelling, and inversion techniques.
The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.
What skills are important in this role?
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.
Required qualifications:
Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in physics, astronomy, astrophysics, or equivalent. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment.
Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
Relevant experience in one or more:
Experience with light curve analysis and modeling with spots and faculae
Experience with studying surface rotation and magnetic activity using photometric data such as from Kepler, K2, and TESS
Experience with asteroseismic analysis of stars with solar-like oscillations (data analysis and/or modelling and/or inversions)
Desired qualifications:
Excellent research record, commensurate with the duration of their research career
Use and/or development of advanced stellar photometric/spectroscopic/spectropolarimetric methodologies
Experience with machine learning techniques
Experience with pipeline development and testing (gitlab, simulated light curves…)
Ability to work independently and to collaborate in an international team with partners in other countries
All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.
What are we looking for in you?
Personal skills:
Independent thinking, creativity, leadership, and mentoring abilities
Good communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to create and contribute to a well-functioning, inclusive and productive research environment and to work in a multi- and interdisciplinary team
Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal skills.
We can offer you
Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development
Committed colleagues in a good working environment
Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes
Salary in position as Postdoctoral Fellow, position code 1352 in salary range NOK 595 000 - 690 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund
We need different perspectives in our work
UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.
We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues, could you be the next one?
We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.
If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).
The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here. We hope you will apply for the position with us.
How to apply
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 research plan related to the above-described research focus (up to 2 pages)
A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job".
When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.
General information
The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.
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)
Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.
