Job description

One or two positions as Postdoctoral Research Fellow are available at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics.

No one can be appointed to more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo. Starting date no later than October 1, 2021.

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).

More about the position

These positions are associated with the CMB&CO research group at the University of Oslo, which focuses on data analysis of past, current and future cosmological data sets. 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 3 permanent staff members, 4 post-doctoral fellows, 10 PhD students, and 4 Master students. 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 COMAP, LiteBIRD, PASIPHAE, Planck, and 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.

The first of the two positions is primarily associated with the COMAP experiment, which aims to map the evolution of star formation in the early universe through the new and promising technique of CO intensity mapping. COMAP is a new experiment that is currently taking data from Owens Valley, mapping out the structure of carbon monoxide density in ten billion years old galaxies.

As a postdoctoral fellow, you will be involved in the full process from data acquisition to final astrophysical interpretation, focusing primarily on statistical data analysis and high-performance computing. In addition, you will be free to work on other projects within and outside our group.

The second position, which is subject to available funding, is open to all fields covered by the ERC-funded Cosmoglobe (PI: Prof. Ingunn Wehus) and bits2cosmology (PI: Prof. Hans Kristian Eriksen) projects.

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.

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

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.

• Candidates for this position are required to have a doctoral degree or equivalent in astronomy, physics, informatics or a related field. 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.

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, Commander, Git and Latex. Familiarity with some of these concepts will be an asset, but are not required at the time of application.

We offer

• Salary NOK 526 000 – 608 200 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
• A generous personal equipment and travel allowance of NOK 60 000 per year
• Access to excellent in-house computing facilities
• A corona-friendly work environment :-)

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
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
• Reference letters sent directly from the references to i.k.wehus@astro.uio.no by the application deadline
• Source code of a self-written computer program, either in the form of a link to a Git repository or as a PDF file

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.

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

• Prof. Ingunn Kathrine Wehus, email: i.k.wehus@astro.uio.no
• Prof. Hans Kristian Eriksen, email: h.k.k.eriksen@astro.uio.no

For thechnical questions regarding the recruitment system; contact Elin Thoresen, elin.thoresen@mn.uio.no

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