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Postdoctoral Research Fellow in extragalactic astrophysics

Deadline: 15.12.2021

Job description

Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.


The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics is part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. It presently has 15 permanent professors/associate professors. The Institute employs about 15 postdoctoral and senior research fellows and has about 25 Ph.D. students. The research activity of the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics is concentrated around solar physics, cosmology and extragalactic astrophysics.

A position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow is available at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo. Starting date no later than 30.09.2022.

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 and/or outreach activities).

More about the position

The faculty of the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics consists of 15 associate and full professors. The Institute employs about 16 – 17 postdoctoral and advanced research fellows. The Institute has three major research groups, one for solar physics, one for extragalactic astrophysics and one for cosmology.

Observational material is collected from space-borne and ground-based observatories. In interaction with and parallel to the observational activity, there is a strong activity in theoretical and computational astrophysics. The Institute is actively engaged in a large number of international collaborative programs, e.g., through the Norwegian membership in ESA, Norwegian participation in the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT), the Institute’s participation in the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope on La Palma and the CO Mapping Array Pathfinder experiment COMAP at Owens Valley, California. The Institute leads the EU-funded design study for the Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) and participates in the MOONS instrument at the ESO-VLT. Space missions with major participation from the Institute include the Japanese Hinode satellite, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and ESA’s Solar Orbiter within solar physics, and Planck and Euclid within cosmology and extragalactic astrophysics. In theoretical and computational astrophysics, the Institute has built up strong groups within numerical modelling and within the use of modern computational statistics methods in data analysis.

For this position, we are seeking an enthusiastic and collaborative postdoctoral researcher to join the extragalactic astrophysics group led by Drs. Sijing Shen and Claudia Cicone. The group studies the formation and evolution of galaxies, observationally as well as through numerical simulations, with a focus on both the local and the high-redshift Universe. Special scientific interests are the interstellar and circumgalactic media of galaxies and the baryon cycle. In the selection, the academic quality and promise of the candidates will be of primary importance, as well as their ability to work within the extragalactic astrophysics group.

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.

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 astrophysics, physics or a related field. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defense are eligible for appointment.
  • Applicants must have a maximum of eight years’ experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree, years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the above maximum.
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.
  • Candidates with expertise in one or more of the following fields are strongly encouraged to apply: observations at optical, infrared, sub-millimeter, or radio wavelengths; numerical hydrodynamics; galaxy formation simulations; processing of large astronomical datasets and catalogues; machine learning techniques.

Personal skills

  • Excellent teamwork capabilities
  • Personal suitability and motivation for the position

We offer

  • Salary NOK 534 400 – 594 300 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

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 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). The references should send their letters directly to Prof. David Fonseca Mota, e-mail d.f.mota@astro.uio.no by the application deadline.

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.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Formal regulations

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

According to the Norwegian Freedom of 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 etc.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

For further information please contact:

For technical questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Elin Thoresen, e-mail: elin.thoresen@mn.uio.no, phone +47 22 85 71 96.

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