Job opportunities

Grade 7: 29,541 - 36,298 p.a.

The Department of Physics invites applications for a postdoctoral research assistant position in the area of cosmology (with emphasis on probing the dark universe from weak gravitational lensing) with Professor Lance Miller, Dr Jo Dunkley, and Professor Pedro Ferreira. Our theoretical programme includes large-scale structure, galaxy formation, and the CMB; we are involved in a range of observational cosmology projects including CFHTLenS, KiDS, ACTPol, Planck, FASTSOUND, HETDEX, Euclid, and the SKA.

Miller, Dunkley, and Ferreira are centrally involved in understanding the Dark Sector of the universe, and this position will focus on the use of gravitational lensing. The applicant will contribute to our efforts of confronting theories with data, analysing and exploiting weak gravitational lensing measurements from galaxy surveys, and cross-correlations with CMB lensing, to probe the evolution of cosmic structure. Data from surveys including KiDS, CFHTLens, and ACTPol will be used, together with preparatory work for Euclid and future lensing measurements.

The appointment is initially for 2 years commencing 1 October 2013 and is based in Oxford Astrophysics, in the Beecroft Institute of Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (BIPAC). The successful candidate will have or be about to receive a PhD in a relevant area of astronomy or astrophysics and should have a demonstrated capacity for independent work and be capable of initiating research in a lively group. In addition to the specified work, the applicant would be expected and encouraged to develop their own research programme in cosmology.

A benefits package and a research budget for travel and other expenses will be provided.

Only applications received by 12.00 midday on Friday 31 May 2013 can be considered. Further information on how to apply can be found in the job description and person specification.

Please also look at the Job Description and Person Specification and apply online.

Grade 7: 29,541 - 36,298 p.a.
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in the Square Kilometre Array group in Astrophysics. The post, based in Oxford Astrophysics, is available for a fixed-term of 12 months commencing 15 June 2013 or soon thereafter.

The successful applicant will work within the ARTEMIS team at Oxford Astrophysics with an emphasis on developing and evaluating highly optimised software for surveys of fast radio transients and pulsars. The ARTEMIS team consists of experts in radio astronomy and high performance computing, and has objectives which are closely aligned with those of the SKA for non-image processing.

Expertise in real-time processing techniques for radio astronomy, in the area of pulsars and transients, and experience in highly efficient computer software development (C, C++) and implementation will be greatly valued. Existing involvement in SKA pathfinder projects (such as LOFAR) is desired.

Applicants should possess (or be very close to obtaining) a doctorate in physics, astrophysics or a related field to the project defined above, and should have a demonstrated capacity for independent work and be capable of initiating research in a lively group.

A benefits package and a research budget for travel and other expenses will be provided.

Only applications received by 12.00 midday on 3 June 2013 can be considered. You will be required to upload a statement of research interests, curriculum vitae, and list of publications, and the names and addresses of three referees as part of your online application. In addition, candidates should arrange for the three letters of reference to be sent to vfw [at] astro [dot] ox [dot] ac [dot] uk by the closing date. Applications are acknowledged but not referee letters. For further enquiries contact Aris Karastergiou email: aris [at] astro [dot] ox [dot] ac [dot] uk.

Please also look at the Job Description and Person Specification and apply online.

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant position to work on a project funded by the European Research Council entitled Hybrid Photovoltaic Energy Relays.

The aim of this project is to develop hybrid solar cells composed of composites of semiconductor quantam dots and/or extremely thin absorber layers, with semiconducting polymers.

Activities will range from nanoparticle synthesis and photonic structuring of nanoparticle assemblies and polymer films through to device fabrication and characterisation, and photophysical studies.

Applicants should possess, or be very close to obtaining a doctorate in physics, chemistry or materials science or a related field and ideally a strong background in organic, dye-sensitized or nanoparticle based photovoltaics.

Previous experience in the field of colloidal synthesis and /or advanced spectroscopy would be an advantage. Candidates are expected to demonstrate good interpersonal skills and work well in a team environment, as part of a group.

Please direct informal enquiries to Dr Henry Snaith - h [dot] snaith1 [at] physics [dot] ox [dot] ac [dot] uk

To apply for this role and for further details, including a job description and selection criteria, please click on the following link:
University jobs website

Only applications received before midday Friday 14 June 2013 can be considered. You will be required to upload a brief statement of research interests, CV and details of two referees as part of your online application.

Please click here for further details.

MC ESR: from 36,000 p.a.

An Early Stage Researcher (ESR) position in high-energy astrophysics is available for 3 years from October 2013 as part of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network INFIER. It is suitable either as a first salaried position for researchers near to completing their PhD, or for students who wish to undertake a first doctoral degree. The ESR will be based in Oxford Astrophysics and registered for an Oxford DPhil in astrophysics.

The ESR will work on the design, construction and commissioning of the Compact High-Energy Camera (CHEC) for the Cherenkov Telescope Array gamma-ray observatory CTA as a member of the CTA-UK team and the INFIERI network. This will include simulation of the camera response to astrophysical and background signals; development of triggering and image analysis algorithms, implementation of these algorithms in FPGAs in the prototype cameras; integration of the camera onto the telescope, and finally commissioning and early science at the Catania observatory in Sicily. The ESR will undertake appropriate secondments with other members of the INFIERI network during the course of the project.

The ESR will be supervised by Dr Garret Cotter (g [dot] cotter1 [at] physics [dot] ox [dot] ac [dot] uk), to whom informal enquiries may be addressed.

Benefits associated with the position include a full contract of employment with social security, annual living and mobility allowances from 36,000 p.a. (depending on employer deductions, personal circumstances and exchange rate to be notified by the EC). The ESR must not have been resident in the UK for more than 12 of the 36 months prior to appointment and must be within the first 4 years (FTE) of their research career.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 midday on 17 June 2013.

Please also look at the Job Description and Person Specification and apply online.

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant position in experimental ultrafast and quantum optics within the research groups of Professor Ian Walmsley and Dr Brian Smith at the Department of Physics, University of Oxford.

This is a fixed-term post for 24 months, with potential for an extension of one year.

The post will develop experimental and theoretical approaches to examine the role of quantum effects to energy transport in biological molecules. Specific research areas include simulation of transport using quantum memories and linear optical networks, and nonlinear spectroscopy of biologically relevant molecules and synthetic systems.

Applicants should possess a BSc (or equivalent) in physics, chemistry, optics or a closely related field and a PhD (or be very close to obtaining) in a relevant area, research skills in coherent control, ultrafast optics quantum optics or quantum information science, demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team, have experience in experimental optical design and theoretical analysis of experimental data. Experience with quantum memories, numerical modelling, ultrafast nonlinear optics, or ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy will be an advantage.

Please direct informal enquiries about this post to Dr Brian Smith - b [dot] smith1 [at] physics [dot] ox [dot] ac [dot] uk

To apply for this role and for further details, including a job description and selection criteria, please click on the following link:

University jobs website

Only applications received before midday 28 June 2013 can be considered. You will be required to upload a statement of research interests, CV including publication list and details of three referees as part of your online application.

Please also look at the Job Description and Person Specification and apply online.

Various mechanisms are known that entail feedbacks and coupling between different regions of the climate system, known as 'teleconnections'. Such teleconnections may lead to correlated behavior between geographically distant regions of the Earth, which has important implications for the predictability of weather and climate on timescales of weeks to months, or possibly even longer. One such mechanism is associated with fluctuations in the large-scale heat transfer across one region affecting the forcing and boundary conditions of a neighboring region. Recent work suggests this can lead to apparently synchronized behavior between these regions.

In this project, we will explore this mechanism in the context of a rotating thermal convection experiment in the laboratory. The project entails use of an existing experimental rig to carry out a sequence of experiments with varying degrees of coupling with another oscillatory signal, and to analyze the results to assess the strength of synchronization observed. Some experience and aptitude for experimental work will be required, together with some computing skills for data analysis and presentation. Funding from NERC is available for undergraduate students in relevant disciplines from outside Oxford Physics ONLY, for an 8 week period between the beginning of July and the end of September 2013 (TBA).

Please also look at the Job Description and Person Specification and apply online.