Postdoc of Astronomy

Applicants are invited for 1-2 postdoctoral research positions - 3 years of employment, in extragalactic stellar streams in Sarah Pearson’s group at DARK, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen. The positions are part of the larger project: “Decoding Dark Matter with Stellar Streams from Beyond the Milky Way.”

Candidates with a strong background in computational astrophysics, galactic dynamics, and/or dark matter physics are encouraged to apply. Specific experience with N-body codes, analyzing large-scale or zoom-in cosmological simulations, stellar streams (detection, characterization and/or modeling), and alternative dark matter models is considered a strong asset. Postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to develop their own projects related to extragalactic streams and will receive support to travel to international conferences and visit collaborators. Note that excellent candidates will automatically be considered for the DARK Fellow program. Co-mentoring of students is encouraged, and there will be options to teach if relevant.

Pearson’s Extragalactic Streams group works on a variety of topics including globular cluster streams in dwarf galaxies, developing stream-finding algorithms to search for streams in new datasets, developing stream fitting tools for extragalactic streams, and predicting the behavior of stellar streams within different dark matter frameworks. The group works at the intersection of theory and observations, analyzes large-scale cosmological simulations, runs stream simulations, while comparing their models to data.

The position is open from 1 September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Terms of employment
The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff. Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.

The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include

• Diplomas (Master and PhD degree or equivalent)
• Brief cover letter stating research interests and plans, and how you see yourself fit into Pearson’s group (maximum 2 pages PDF)
• Separate reprints of 1 particularly relevant paper

Note: Please note that we do not request letters of recommendation to be sent at any point in the search for this position.

The deadline for applications is 1 November 2024, 23:59 GMT +1.

After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee. Interviews will be held in December 2024 and January 2025.

Employment start: 01-09-2025

Contact: University of Copenhagen