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Author: Marcus Mohring

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Upcoming Job Opportunities at ESA

Pre-announcements of job opportunities at ESA: the actual openings are always very short (3 weeks) so  people can mentally prepare for those positions before they come out. One of them is the Research Fellowship. The other two are not LISA related but might interest some of you, nevertheless.
  1. Fellowships, the jobs application portal should open for submissions on 26 August with applications due 16 September.
  2. Science Education Scientist & Communications Coordinator — the ESA jobs application portal should open by ~1 September, with applications due 3 weeks later. Detailed description below.
  3. Project Scientist in Astronomy & RF Coordinator — the ESA jobs application portal should open mid-September with applications due 3 weeks later. Detailed description at end of text.

Early Career Opportunities at ESA

Calls open to nationals of ESA member & cooperating states only

Student internships (3-6 months)

  • applications due ~Oct
  • master students (penultimate/final year)

National trainee programme (1+1 year)

  • timelines determined by national agencies
  • master students (final year/recent graduates) from Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal & Switzerland

Young graduate programme (1 year)

  • applications due ~Jan/Feb for start in Sep
  • master students (final year/recent graduates)

ESA co-funded research for PhD students & postdocs (1-1.5 years)

  • applications accepted throughout the year

ESA Research Fellowships for postdocs

ESA Science Research Fellowship

What?

  • independent postdoctoral fellowship for ESA State nationals
  • research project covering any topic in space science
  • 2 + 1 years (proposal for 3rd year extension)

Where?

  • ESTEC (Netherlands), ESAC (Spain) or STScI (USA)

Why?

  • 100% research time (optionally <20% functional work, e.g. archive/data
  • science, citizen science, operations, calibration, communication)
  • insights into ESA environment & activities
  • mentoring from senior ESA Science Faculty members
  • training available (e.g. spacecraft design, soft skills, management)
  • 3500-4600€ net monthly salary (depending on location & experience)
  • comprehensive health Coverage

contact: fellowship(at)cosmos.esa.int
Website: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/space-science-faculty/opportunities/research-fellowships

— Science Education Scientist & Communications Coordinator —

We are pleased to announce an exciting upcoming opportunity at ESA Directorate of Science for an experienced science communicator & educator, to be at the forefront of bringing space into education and inspire future generations into STEAM. Get in touch if you have questions!
This is a pre-announcement for a Science Education Scientist and Communication Coordinator. This opportunity is open to ESA Member State nationals and will be based in Spain (European Space Astronomy Centre).

The European Space Agency maintains a world-leading Science Programme with missions in heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics and fundamental physics. Its mission is to ‘Empower Europe to lead space science’.
The Science Communication and Education Section (SCI-EC) in the Office of Science Engagement and Oversight (SCI-E) is responsible for defining and implementing the Communication and Education Strategy for the Science Directorate of the European Space Agency. It leverages the technological advances and scientific output enabled by the Space Science missions with the aim to inform, engage and inspire a range of stakeholders (ranging from advisory bodies, media, scientists, general public and future generations).
In this role you will be responsible for coordinating and managing the CESAR education initiative – a joint initiative by ESA, the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) and the Ingeniería de Sistemas para la Defensa de España, S.A. (ISDEFE) – to promote and develop educational activities in Spain, Europe and beyond. In particular, you will be in charge of the definition, execution, monitoring and evaluation of education activities, getting to work in a dynamic team of science educators and communicators.
In addition, for up to 50% of your time, you will support the Head of the Science Communication and Education section in planning and implementing the optimal use of resources dedicated to communication and education, including placing contracts, defining and preparing clear procedures to ensure the smooth functioning and integration of our science communication and education activities.
Relevant technical competencies: experience in space science, experience in science communication and education, experience in project management. An advanced knowledge of Spanish and experience in international communications would be an asset.

— Project Scientist in Astronomy & Research Fellows Coordinator —

The European Space Agency maintains a world-leading Science Programme with missions in heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics and fundamental physics. Its mission is to ‘Empower Europe to lead space science’. The Office of Science Engagement and Oversight (SCI-E) oversees the scientific content of the Science programme and providing scientific expertise to Science missions, across all phases, from studies to operations and beyond. The Office also manages scientific research, scientific community engagement activities as well as the communication and education efforts for the ESA Directorate of Science.

In this role, the Project Scientist will update and implement policies for guest proposal submission and peer review to ensure a rigorous, transparent, fair and consistent approach across missions. They will also be responsible for strengthening the Space Science Research Fellowship Programme.

This job is particularly well suited to a scientist with a good understanding of and experience in inclusive practices in astronomy and astrophysics communities (and beyond), and an interest in the evolution of these practices to ensure ESA Science missions remain at the forefront of best practice, in particular, regarding Open Science.
Relevant technical competencies: active researcher in a relevant field of space science, knowledge of latest developments in Open Science and/or Peer Review, knowledge and experience in scientific space missions and payloads. Experience in coordinating the scientific community and managing multiple interfaces at international levels and experience in pro

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ESA: LISA Science Team selected

ESA has announced the members of its LISA Science Team (LST): 18 scientists were elected and appointed for the first term from 2024 to 2027. The role of the LST is to provide scientific advice during the development and operations of the LISA mission. The LST is co-chaired by the ESA and NASA Project Scientists and will support the ESA Project and Operations teams on all aspects related to the science return of the mission.

Find the LST here: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/lisa/lisa-science-team

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LISA Data Generation and Analysis Workshop, Oktober 7-10 2024, Online

The LISA Consortium’s Simulation and LDC Groups are happy to invite you to the LISA Data Generation and Analysis Workshop, which will take place online October 7-10 2024. It is aimed at beginners to LISA data analysis (with hands-on getting-started sessions), as well as more expert individuals who want to learn more (with in-depth sessions on simulation and analysis of sources of various types).

Hands-on tutorial sessions on how to generate simulated datasets (similar to LDC datasets) and run parameter estimation on them. It will include 101-level sessions, as well as more in-depth sessions. The end-goal is to work towards including multiple types of sources in the mini-global fit pipeline.

The workshop will cover 4 sessions (European afternoons, North-American mornings), including

A 4-hour “getting started” hands-on tutorial, where we will generate of a simple LDC-like dataset with realistic instrumental noise and one MBHB signal, then run an MCMC on it to recover the source parameters. A 3-hour “in-depth simulation” hands-on tutorial, where the parametrization of the instrumental noise and various effects (such as nonstationary noise and data artifcats) will be demonstrated, as well as realistic time-domain EMRI, Galactic binary ensemble, and SGWB signals. Two 3-hour “in-depth analysis” hands-on tutorials, where a mini-global fit will be constructed, including inference for a Galactic binary population, MHBHs, and instrument noise.

This workshop is open to all. However, some tools might have restricted access to LISA Consortium associated or full members.

The workshop is organized by the junior chairs of the LISA Consortium Simulation Expert Group and the LISA Data Challenge Working Group. Many thanks to the speakers, who agreed to help with the organization of the tutorials, and in particular:

  • Jean-Baptiste Bayle (University of Glasgow)
  • Quentin Baghi (APC)
  • Eleonora Castelli (NASA GSFC)
  • Natalia Korsakova (APC)
  • Christian Chapman-Bird (University of Glasgow)
  • Henri Inchauspé (Universität Heidelberg)
  • Martin Staab (Observatoire de Paris)
  • Maude Le Jeune (APC)
  • Michael Katz (NASA Marshall)
  • Nikolaos Karnesis (AUTh)
  • Olaf Hartwig (AEI Hannover)
  • Senwen Deng (APC)
  • Sylvain Marsat (L2I Toulouse)

Workshop Website

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New Frontiers in NR 2025 – July 21-25 2025 at University of Balearic Islands

In the history of numerical (or computational) general relativity, the “Frontiers” meeting in 1988 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (USA), played a pivotal role in establishing numerical relativity as a major topic in computational physics and simulation science. The “New Frontiers” meeting in 2006 at the AEI Potsdam convened following major breakthroughs in numerical simulations of binary systems. The most recent “Frontiers 2022” conference was instrumental in assessing the state-of-the-art and identifying future directions in numerical relativity. The upcoming “New Frontiers 2025: past, current and future challenges in Numerical Relativity” will emphasize the significant theoretical and computational challenges ahead, not only in understanding the observations of gravitational waves and electromagnetic counterparts but also in comprehending the nature of gravity at a more fundamental level. Reflecting on past adversities and how our community overcame them may guide us in current and future endeavors.

Main topics:

  • Mathematical foundations
  • Numerical methods for the Einstein and the radiation MHD equations
  • High performance computing
  • Astrophysics (binary mergers, gravitational waves, electromagnetic counterparts,…)
  • Beyond current astrophysics and general relativity

The meeting will take place at the University of the Balearic Islands starting on July 21st and ending on July 25th, 2025. There is no registration fee.

Scientific Organizing Committee:

  • M.Bezares (University of Nottingham)
  • C.Bona (Universitat de les Illes Balears)
  • B.Bruegmann (University of Jena)
  • K.Clough (Queen Mary University of London)
  • J.A.Font (Universitat de València)
  • S.Husa (ICE-CSIC)
  • L.Lehner (Perimeter Institute)
  • C.Palenzuela (Universitat de les Illes Balears)
  • M.Shibata (Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics)

Conference Website

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NEOSGrav2024, October 1-4, Goa, India

The international conference on Neutron star Equation of State and Gravitational Waves (NEOSGrav2024) shall take place in Goa, India during 01 - 04 October 2024. It is being organized by the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune.

The scientific programme shall consist of invited review talks and some short oral presentations.

The following areas in the neutron star physics will be covered in the meeting:

  • Fundamental Physics from Neutron stars
  • Constraining Neutron Star EoS with Electromagnetic observations
  • Constraining Neutron Star EoS with Gravitational waves
  • Numerical modelling of Neutron Stars

In addition to the science sessions, there will be two public talks during the week at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani – Goa Campus and Goa Science Centre

Venue: All the scientific sessions shall be held at the Kenilworth Hotel, Goa.
Date: October 01 – 04, 2024

Scientific Organizing Committee:

Debarati Chatterjee (Chair) — IUCAA, Pune, India Prof. Dipankar Bhattacharya — Ashoka University, India Prof. Sukanta Bose — Washington State University, USA Prayush Kumar — ICTS, Bengaluru, India

Local Organizing Committee:

Debarati Chatterjee (IUCAA) M. S. Sahasrabudhe (IUCAA) S. Samuel (IUCAA) Yogesh Thakare (IUCAA) Kinjal Banerjee (BITS Pilani, Goa) Tarun Kumar Jha (BITS Pilani, Goa) Reshma Raut Dessai (Goa University) Ananthraman S.V. (Ashoka University)

IUCAA Advisory Committee:

Durgesh Tripathi — IUCAA, Pune, India Ranjeev Mishra — IUCAA, Pune, India

For any queries: Please write email to – neosgrav2024(at)iucaa.in

Conference Website

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GRASS Trento, September 30th – October 2nd 2024

The GRAvitational - wave Science&technology Symposia (GRASS) are a series of meetings held in Padova and Trento and aimed at exploring the panorama of gravitational-wave related experimental science beyond the next decade; special emphasis is given to open issues and key enabling technologies at the forefront of the most advanced detection techniques. It represents an informal and unique meeting occasion for experts from different fields involved in experimental aspects of future gravitational-wave science and technology.

The GRASS 2024 edition will include topical sessions on Gravitational Waves and Multi-messenger Observational Science, Coatings and Materials, Perspectives for the Reduction of Quantum Noise and Stray Light mitigation for future GW detectors. A general session to discuss any other open issue is foreseen as well.

Attendance to the conference will be in person only. No video streaming of the conference is forseen at this time.

Meeting Website

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Challenges and future perspectives in gravitational- wave astronomy: O4 and beyond, October 14-18, Leiden, NL

This workshop will foster an interdisciplinary discussion about how ongoing and future observations of gravitational and electromagnetic waves can be used to shed light on the physics of compact-object formation and evolution.

We will bring together experts on:

  • (i) parameter estimation from gravitational-wave data;
  • (ii) astrophysical modeling of gravitational-wave sources and their electromagnetic counterparts; and
  • (iii) gravitational-wave “data mining”.

This meeting will bring together astronomers and gravitational-wave scientists whose current research covers these three topics. The key questions we aim to address in the meeting are:

  • how can gravitational-wave parameter estimation be integrated with other forms of astronomy to gain a more comprehensive understanding of compact-object mergers?
  • How can gravitational-wave data help us understand the astrophysical processes and environments involved?
  • What improvements are required for stellar/binary evolution models, cluster dynamics, and galactic nuclei for a meaningful comparison to the data?
  • How can we use modern statistical tools to maximize the astrophysical information extracted from the gravitational-wave data?

This workshop accepts applicants! Application dadline: 21st of July 2024.

Workshop Website

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Three ET positions at RWTH Aachen

The successful candidates will be employed under a regular employment contract. The positions are to be filled at the earliest possible date and offered for a fixed term of two years. If the Einstein Telescope in the NL-B-D border region is approved, RWTH will attempt to continue the contract. The fixed-term employment is possible as it constitutes one of the fixed-term options of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (German Act on Fixed-term Scientific Contracts). This is a full-time position. The salary is based on the German public service salary scale (TV-L). The position corresponds to a pay grade of EG 13 TV-L. Application time: 18.07.2024

Please find here full details:

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Euregio Meuse-Rhine (EMR) Gravitational Waves PhD School, November 4-8 2024 at KU Leuven

The aim of the EMR GW PhD School is to provide beginning PhD students, primarily from the EMR countries (Belgium - Netherlands - Germany), with courses on all aspects of gravitational waves, and in particular in the context of the future Einstein Telescope and the space mission LISA.

Over the course of a week (Mon morning to Fri afternoon), the students will follow six courses taught by distinguished lecturers, with two topics each in theory, data analysis, and instrumentation.

Last but not least, participants get to meet their fellow students from the neighboring institutes and countries, who will be their peers and colleagues throughout (and possibly beyond) their PhD studies working on gravitational wave physics.
Students will have the opportunity to present their own work or research topic to each other in a brief, informal presentation (on Thursday). Thursday evening there will also be a social activity organized.

The target audience of this school is beginning PhD students (first or second year) and advanced Master students. Other young (or less young) researchers wanting to get acquainted with gravitational wave physics are also welcome to apply.

Students from all over the world are welcome to apply, although precedence will be given to students from the EMR region countries (Belgium – Netherlands – Germany)

Participation in the school is free, but participants are responsible for their own accommodation and local expenses. (Accommodations can be booked through the local organizers by indicating this on the application form.) Coffee breaks and lunch are provided for registered participants.

The lecturers and courses for this year are:

  • (Theory) Maarten van de Meent (Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen): “The Relativistic Two-Body Problem”
  • (Theory) Sébastien Clesse (Université Libre Bruxelles): “Cosmology with Gravitational Waves”
  • (Data analysis) Gregorio Carullo (Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen/University of Birmingham): “Logic with incomplete information: data analysis foundations, and applications to gravitational-waves observations”
  • (Data analysis) Henri Inchauspé (Universität Heidelberg / KU Leuven): “Data analysis for LISA”
  • (Instrumentation) Joseph Martino (APC): “LISA Constellation Performance and Noise Budget”
  • (Instrumentation) Joris van Heijningen (Vrije Universtiteit Amsterdam/Nikhef): “How to create a freely falling test mass?”

Local scientific organizing commitee:

  • Thomas Hertog
  • Tjonnie Li
  • Daniel Mayerson
  • Jonathan Menu

School Website