Postdoctoral Research Associate (Astronomy)

TL;DR

Postdoctoral Research Associate (Astronomy): Investigating clumpy galaxies using simulations and deep learning with an accent on processing astrophysical imaging data and cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. Focus on developing deep learning models to detect giant star-forming clumps and inferring their physical properties to advance the understanding of galaxy evolution.

Location: Must be based in or able to commute to Milton Keynes, UK (Hybrid: expected 2 days per week in office).

Salary: £38,784 – £46,049 per annum.

Company

hirify.global is the UK’s largest university and a world leader in flexible higher education, combining a mission to widen access with research excellence.

What you will do

• Develop and fine-tune deep learning models to detect and classify giant star-forming clumps in galaxy images.
• Apply models to data from the Euclid Space Telescope and COLIBRE cosmological simulations.
• Identify morphologically similar populations of real and simulated clumps to infer physical properties.
• Lead scientific publications and disseminate research findings at national and international conferences.
• Provide day-to-day support to PhD students in extragalactic astronomy and machine learning.
• Develop independence by leading observing proposals and coordinating work within international teams.

Requirements

• PhD in Astronomy, Astrophysics, or a related field.
• Experience in extragalactic astronomy research.
• Experience developing deep learning models and applying them to astrophysical imaging data.
• Strong Python programming skills for scientific data processing.
• Developing track record of peer-reviewed publications in international astrophysics journals.
• Must be able to work from the Milton Keynes office as required (typically 2 days/week).

Nice to have

• Experience analyzing properties of clumpy star-forming galaxies.
• Experience working with imaging data from ground and space-based telescopes.
• Experience developing deep-learning based object detection models.
• Experience processing data from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations.

Culture & Benefits

• Commitment to flexible working arrangements including job shares and part-time options.
• Supportive environment focused on work-life balance.
• Access to university staff development events and courses.
• Opportunity to work within a world-leading research institution.