Job Description

Position Details

School of Physics and Astronomy

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to August 2029

Closing date: 30th September 2026

UK and International Travel may be required for this role

Background

We are seeking to appoint a postdoctoral researcher to work on developing analysis approaches for low frequency observations of gravitational waves to improving our understanding of the formation and evolution of supermassive black holes. The applicant will join the Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom – one of the globally leading institutes in gravitational wave-research. The successful applicant should have a background in data analysis techniques and in astrophysics of massive black hole binaries.

The Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy provides a vibrant and diverse environment with expertise across key areas of gravitational-wave astronomy: From theoretical to experimental gravitational-wave research, with applications to present and future-generation detectors, theoretical astrophysics, transient astronomy, gravitational-wave source modelling including numerical relativity, and general relativity theory.

The School of Physics and Astronomy is a world-leading physics department, excelling in both research and teaching. Our physics research was recently ranked top in the UK for 4-star-category research, and 4th by GPA, by the Research Excellence Framework 2021. The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Professor Mike Kosterlitz and Professor David Thouless jointly for their work into the discoveries of the properties of matter, work which started when they were at Birmingham together. The 2017 Nobel Prize was awarded for the detection of gravitational waves, in which Birmingham staff played a key role. The School is an excellent environment for an upcoming academic.

The School’s research portfolio is wide-ranging, and covers three principal themes: Quantum Matter; Particle and Nuclear Physics; and Astronomy and Experimental Gravity. It has over 120 academic and research staff together with 120 graduate students with around 50 technical and clerical support staff.

The University of Birmingham is an equal opportunity employer. The School of Physics and Astronomy is an Athena SWAN Silver Award holder and JUNO Champion, welcomes people from all backgrounds and is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who we are. We encourage applications from all qualified applicants; those from traditionally under-represented groups in this discipline are particularly welcome.

• Working within specified research grants and projects and contributing to writing bids
• Operating within the area of gravitational-waves and astrophysics
• Developing and implementing analysis approaches for single source and populations in the context of nanohertz gravitational-wave observations
• Applying probabilistic inference to gravitational waves, including through machine learning techniques
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results
• Contribute to generating funding

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

Person Specification

• PhD (or near to completion) in Physics, Astrophysics, or a related subject
• High level analytical capability
• The ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• The ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• The ability to contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• The ability to coordinate work with others and to work within a research team to achieve common goals, avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in their own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly
• The fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Fluency and experience with high performance and/or high throughput computing
• Expertise in the theory and usage of high-level Bayesian and/or frequentist statistical data analysis techniques, including stochastic processes and machine learning; expertise in analytical and numerical modelling of gravitational-wave sources, and the astrophysical processes governing their populations; expertise in analysing and interpreting pulsar timing array datasets.

Informal enquiries to Bence Becsy, email: b.becsy@bham.ac.uk

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website