The Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dark Energy and the Origin of the Universe for its Unit of Excellence Maria de Maeztu postdoctoral positions. Find out more positions in related areas here.

The ICCUB is an interdisciplinary center with more than 60 long term scientists, 20 engineers and 80 postdoctoral researchers (55% international) and PhD students (30% international) offering an international and multicultural environment. The ICCUB also hosts a vibrant fundamental research program in cosmology, astrophysics and particle physics, with a strong technology unit supporting our participation in international collaborations in observational astronomy and experimental particle physics.

Job description

We are looking for enthusiastic researchers who share our curiosity to understand the physics of the Universe from the infinitely small to the infinitely large and the deep connections between these different scales.

You will have the opportunity to work on large-scale structure cosmology, (both theoretical and observational), dark energy and  Early Universe.

Forthcoming surveys with exquisite statistical power promise advances on big open questions with deep links to fundamental physics: the nature of dark energy and dark matter, neutrino masses, the early Universe physics driving inflation, etc.

The rapidly growing amount of data in cosmological surveys demands a strong analysis effort to extract important scientific discoveries; a close interaction between theory and observations is crucial for formulating the most relevant questions and developing precise data analysis techniques to find the correct answers. 

We anticipate that this process will be strongly influenced by the nascent field of multi-messenger cosmology: gravitational waves with electromagnetic counterparts (e.g, providing redshift measurements). As an example of promising synergies, this combination will result in independent distance measurements, and cross-correlating gravitational wave sources with galaxy maps can trace the origin of black hole mergers (see line B here).

You will be joining a broad group of researchers with interests in Cosmology, -- see http://icc.ub.edu/~liciaverde/HomePage.html  (under GROUP) and http://icc.ub.edu/research/research_areas/theoretical_cosmology --  which comprises  5 faculty, 4 postdocs, and 8 graduate students.

Experience with cosmology, analysis of data, statistics, possibly applied in the cosmological context and being proficient with coding is highly desirable. Familiarity with inflation, general relativity and field theory would be valued. Familiarity with high performance computing is a welcome plus.

Members of this group are involved in the following surveys/collaborations: DESI, EUCLID.

The priority lines of the Maria de Maeztu proposal can be found here.

To know more about the research interests of the ICCUB, please follow this link.

Employment conditions:

Position is for two years renewable for a third year depending on performance and funding.

Gross annual salary will be in the range of 32 to 36 k€, with included social security and public healthcare benefits, covering spouse and children.

Position is expected to begin no later than the fall of 2021, although exceptions can be made in cases of maternity/paternity or other special circumstances.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

ICCUB offers and promotes a diverse and inclusive environment and welcomes applicants regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation (for additional information please see the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission. Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call or email secretaria@icc.ub.edu with their request.

Application procedure:

Documents that will be required for your application are:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Research Description and Plan (maximum 6 pages)
• Three letters of recommendation
• URL to publications in a public database

All applications must be submitted online through this link.

Inquiries about the application submission can be directed to Esther Pallares (secretaria@icc.ub.edu).

For inquiries about the scientific aspects, please contact Prof. Licia Verde (liciaverde@icc.ub.edu) or Prof. Jaume Garriga (jgarriga@fqa.ub.edu)

Deadline:

Applications should be uploaded in here before December 8th to receive full consideration, but those uploaded later will also be considered until positions are filled.

Funding:

The position is financed by the State Agency for Research of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the "Unit of Excellence María de Maeztu 2020-2023" award to the Institute of Cosmos Sciences (CEX2019-000918-M).

The Unit of Excellence Maria de Maeztu recognition has been awarded by the Spanish Government in 2020 for the second time to the ICCUB, as a center with a highly competitive strategic research programmes in the frontiers of knowledge.