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Author: Marcus Mohring

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Postdoctoral fellowships in AI for gravitational waves at the National University of Singapore

Applications are invited for a number of postdoctoral research fellowships in the Department of Physics and the Department of Statistics and Data Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Successful candidates will contribute to a Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF)-funded research programme on artificial intelligence for gravitational-wave astronomy, based at NRF's Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise, and supervised by a team of PIs at NUS: Alvin Chua, Li Cheng, Alexandre Thiery and David Nott. Application close October 31st 2026.

We seek applicants with strong expertise in scientific analysis for gravitational-wave astronomy and/or statistical machine learning for science. Those with a more general background in applied mathematics, statistics, data science or computational science will also be considered. Relevant areas of expertise can include (but are not limited to) topics such as surrogate modelling, representation learning, self-supervised learning, Bayesian optimisation, Gaussian processes, Monte Carlo methods, reinforcement learning, simulation-based inference, and model misspecification.

The ideal candidates for these positions will possess skills and interests in both theoretical and computational research, a willingness to diversify their expertise and to be involved in cross-disciplinary projects, as well as the disposition to work well independently and as part of a team.

The initial appointment is for one year, with expected renewal up to two or three years in total, and could start as early as March 2027. Each position comes with a competitive salary and personal benefits, as well as travel support for international conferences/visits. There will also be opportunities for successful candidates to gain additional experience in supervising research students during their appointment.

Applicants should submit the following materials via e-mail to ai4gw.nus(at)gmail.com: a cover letter, their CV and list of publications, a short statement of research, and the e-mail addresses of three academic referees who will provide letters of reference. All materials should be received by 31 October 2026 for full consideration.

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Multiple open positions (including Group Leader) at the DZA

The newly founded German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA) is seeking to appoint a wide range of scientific staff to launch the new Centre. From technician posts, to PhDs, to post-docs, to group leader positions.
In particular the group leader position for GWD silicon technologies development should be highlighted as a special opportunity to lead your own group within a newly founded and well funded Centre of Astrophysics. Deadline for this position is September 30th 2026.

Please find here details.

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Head of Silicon Technologies (f/m/d) at German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA)

At the earliest possible date, we are seeking to fill the following position on an initial fixed-term contract of two years (in accordance with Section 14 (2) of the German Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act (TzBfG)):

Head of Silicon Technologies (f/m/d)
Strategic Development of Key Technologies for Next-Generation Gravitational-Wave Detectors

(Up to Pay Grade E15 TVöD Bund, depending on personal qualifications.) 
Deadline for this position is September 30th 2026.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Strategic establishment and scientific-technical leadership of the Silicon Technologies division, including the development of a technology roadmap for ultra-high-purity silicon substrates and mirror systems for cryogenic operation, bonding technologies, and vacuum- and cryogenic-compatible integration and characterization methods.
  • Scientific evaluation of technological approaches with respect to thermal and mechanical stability, optical losses, long-term reliability, and scalability, as well as identification of future key technologies.
  • Scientific and technical coordination of activities related to material selection, bonding technologies, surface and bulk characterization, and the scientific requirements for future mirror and test-mass systems.
  • Planning and coordination of scientific research and development programmes in the field of silicon technologies.
  • Strategic planning and prioritization of future laboratory, vacuum, cryogenic, and precision measurement infrastructures.
  • Contributing to the establishment of experimental laboratories and technology environments.
  • Technical leadership and development of an interdisciplinary team, including the supervision and mentoring of PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers.
  • Establishment and management of national and international research collaborations, including the acquisition and leadership of externally funded research projects.
  • Representing the DZA in international networks and consortia, as well as publishing and presenting research results at international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.

YOUR PROFILE:

  • Completed university degree and PhD in Physics, Materials Science, Surface Science, Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
  • Extensive research experience in several of the following fields: Silicon technologies, Interferometric gravitational-wave detection, Materials and surface science, Bonding technologies, Precision optics, Cryogenic and vacuum technologies, Precision measurement technologies
  • Proven experience in leading complex scientific research or technology programmes and in the scientific management of research teams.
  • International scientific visibility and networking demonstrated through publications, invited presentations, leadership roles, and experience in acquiring and coordinating third-party funded projects.
  • Experience in establishing new scientific structures, research fields, or research programmes.
  • Hands-on experience in experimental research within laboratory or technology environments.
  • Excellent command of English. Willingness to acquire German language skills (minimum CEFR Level B1) within the first two years of employment.
  • Desirable: Experience with ultra-precision optical or cryogenic systems, or in establishing new research groups.

WE OFFER:

  • The opportunity to help build Germany’s largest research centre for astrophysics.
  • Active participation in shaping the structural transformation of the Lusatia region through a scientifically and socially significant project.
  • Extensive opportunities to shape innovative personnel and organisational structures in support of pioneering research.
  • A highly motivated, international, and interdisciplinary working environment with renowned experts from academia and industry.
  • Remuneration according to TVöD Bund, including the annual special payment and the attractive benefits and social security provisions of the German public sector.
  • A strong commitment to work-life balance, including flexible working hours and opportunities for part-time employment.

The DZA is committed to increasing the representation of women in science and leadership positions and therefore expressly encourages women to apply. Applications from persons with severe disabilities and those with equivalent status under German Social Code IX (SGB IX) are particularly welcome. Where candidates are equally qualified, preference will be given to applicants with severe disabilities or equivalent legal status.

Please submit your application by 30.09.2026 via our online application portal. Your application should include: cover letter, detailed curriculum vitae, copies of relevant certificates and degree documents, earliest possible starting date. Please quote the reference number T02-26-01a when submitting your application.

Please find here full details.

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ESA – Archival Research Visitor Programme

To increase the scientific return from its space science missions, ESA welcomes applications from scientists interested in pursuing research based on publicly available data in the ESA Space Science Archives. The Archives host data from all current and past ESA space science missions in astronomy, planetary science, and heliophysics.

The ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme is open to scientists at all career levels who are affiliated with institutes in ESA Member States and Cooperating States (note that all visits must comply with the ESA Security Directives, which may necessitate additional checks). Early-career scientists are particularly encouraged to apply, including PhD students (see below). We encourage applications from women and minorities. The peer-review evaluation process is anonymised to ensure equal opportunities for all applicants.

Residence lasts typically between one and three months, also distributed over multiple visits, depending on the complexity of the research project. The research projects can be carried out at ESAC (Madrid, Spain) and at ESTEC (Noordwijk, Netherlands). To offset the expenses incurred by visitors, ESA covers travel costs from and to the home institution and provides support for lodging expenses and meals.

During their stay, visiting scientists have the opportunity to interact with archive and mission specialists for questions on the retrieval, calibration, and analysis of archival data. In principle, all areas of space research covered by ESA science missions can be supported (the data must be publicly available in the archives). To ensure that technical expertise in the specific area of interest is available at ESAC or ESTEC, applicants should consult the table of expertise and contact the relevant scientists in their field of interest (this is very important). In case of doubts, write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp(at)cosmos.esa.int.

The next deadline for applications is Saturday 31 October 2026, 23:59 UTC

Please find here full details.

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RESCEU-NBIA workshop on gravitational-wave sources 2026, November 25 – December 4, in Tokyo

The workshop will focus on compact object binaries ranging from stellar mass objects to supermassive black holes. The workshop aims to discuss our current understanding of gravitational-wave sources based on the previous gravitational-wave and electromagnetic observations and what we will be able to learn from future observations. Topics to be considered at the workshop include:

Dynamical channel of binary black hole formation
Binary stellar evolution/population
Binary black holes in AGNs
Intermediate - supermassive binary black holes
Electromagnetic signatures of compact binaries
Gravitational-wave data analysis

The workshop is hosted by the Research Center for the Early Universe at University of Tokyo.

Participation and Program

All participants are requested to register by filling out the “Registration” form via the menu on the left of this page. Participants interested in contributing with a talk must also submit an abstract by filling out the “Title of talk” and “Abstract”,  in the registration form. The workshop can accept a limited number  of participants due to the capacity of the room.  In order to receive full consideration, all information must be received by September 15th, 2026. The acceptance of the workshop will be given by September 25th, 2026. 

We plan to focus on invited and contribution talks in the first week. In the second week, we will have a  small number of  talks and  a large fraction of time will be devoted to open discussion. 

Venue

The workshop will take place at Science building No. 1 in the Hongo campus of University of Tokyo.  

Registration fee

The registration fee is 5000 JPY (~33 USD, 30 EUR).  The cost of workshop dinner is  7,000 JPY. The payment method will be annouced later to the accepted participants.

Workshop Dinners

To be determined.

Accommodation

We recommend any business hotel in the Hongo or Ueno area. For example, APA Hotel Keisei Ueno-Ekimae is a business hotel at a walkable distance from UTokyo, just across the Ueno park. Other APA hotels are also nearby (Ueno Eki Minami, Ueno Ekimae, Shin Okachimachi Ekimae). There are many other hotels in the Ueno area.

If you want to stay farther away from the university, commuting by metro is also an easy option. The Hongo campus is well connected to the Marunouchi and Oedo lines (Hongo Sanchome station), the Namboku line (Todaimae st.) and the Chiyoda line (Nezu st.).

For using local transportation, we recommend buying a rechargeable Pasmo (or Suica) card.

Invited Speakers

  • Pau Amaro Seoane (Polytechnic University of Valencia)*
  • Clement Bonnerot (U of Birmingham)
  • Alexander Dittmann (IAS)
  • Kohei Inayoshi (KIAA)
  • Maximiliano Isi (Columbia)
  • Dong Lai (TDLI)
  • Wenbin Lu (UCB)
  • Andrew MacFadyen (NYU)
  • Lucio Mayer (UZH)
  • Ehud Nakar (Tel Aviv)
  • Smadar Naoz (UCLA)
  • Matt Nicholl (Queen’s University Belfast)
  • Samaya Nissanke (DESY)
  • Re’em Sari (Hebrew U)
  • Ataru Tanikawa (Fukui Prefectural U)
  • and more (* to be confirmed)

Organizers

  • Kenta Hotokezaka, University of Tokyo
  • Daniel D’Orazio, Space Telescope Science Institute
  • Martin Pessah, Niels Bohr Institute
  • Johan Samsing, Niels Bohr Institute
  • Soichiro Morisaki, University of Tokyo
  • Masaki Ando, University of Tokyo
  • Tomoya Kinugawa, Shinshu University

Contact

  • Workshop LOC < resceu-nbia-2026-group at g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp >

We gratefully acknowledge the support by the Research Center for the Early Universe at University of Tokyo, the JST FOREST Program (JPMJFR2136) and the JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (23H01169, 23H04900).

Workshop Website

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After the Avalanche: Astrophysical Lessons from the fourth GW observing run, February 22-26, 2027 in Sexten

How binary black holes and neutron stars form and merge is the central question in gravitational-wave astrophysics. A decade after the first direct detection of a binary black hole merger, it remains unclear which gravitational-wave events probe the evolution of isolated massive binary stars, the dynamics of dense environments like star clusters, and active galactic nuclei, or more exotic pathways. One of the main hurdles has been the low-number statistics that prevented statistically robust identification of sub-populations within the observed population of gravitational-waves.

With the full O4 catalogue expected by the end of 2026, the sample is set to grow to several hundred events, ushering gravitational-wave astronomy into a new era of precision population inference. For the first time, this enables robust multi-parameter analyses (masses, spins, eccentricities, and their correlations) which are crucial for breaking the degeneracies that currently prevent us from deciphering the astrophysical origin of compact-object mergers.

The recent O4a and O4b releases have already prompted several interesting (and sometimes competing) claims about the origins of binary black hole subpopulations, including evidence for hierarchical mergers, features associated with the supernova-remnant mass function, and imprints of isolated binary and triple-star evolution. Many of these results remain only partially supported. In parallel, EM observations from (like the Gaia DR4 release) are substantially expanding the sample of dormant compact objects in binaries with luminous companions, providing essential context for interpreting gravitational-wave events.

Taking place just a few weeks after the planned full O4 data release, the workshop will be a timely opportunity to discuss the wealth of new results from the enlarged gravitational-wave catalogue. It will bring together researchers working on astrophysical theory and modelling, numerical relativity, and gravitational-wave data analysis to explore what are the astrophysical lessons that can be robustly drawn from O4.

The workshop will have a very heavy focus on discussions and interactions to promote problem solving structured around three themes:

  • Astrophysical modelling: merger signatures expected from different formation channels
  • Data analysis: which features in the data are robust
  • Falsification: how the new data constrain and refine astrophysical models

Registration deadline: 8 November 2026

The number of participants is limited. We will confirm participation shortly after registration closes.

Organizers

Jakob Stegmann (MPA), Lieke van Son (Radboud University), Davide Gerosa (Milano-Bicocca), Samaya Nissanke (DESY/DZA), and Salvatore Vitale (MIT).

Workshop Website

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LIGO Laboratory Job Opening: Research Engineer, at LIGO Caltech

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Laboratory seeks a highly motivated and skilled Research Engineer to join its team. LIGO Laboratory is a National Science Foundation major facility dedicated to observing gravitational-waves. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the LIGO Laboratory operates world-leading observatories near Richland, WA and Baton Rouge, LA as well as R&D centers on the Caltech and MIT campuses. The LIGO Laboratory’s mission spans a broad and vibrant array of activities related to gravitational-wave physics and astronomy, including detector operations, R&D toward detector improvements, gravitational-wave astrophysics, observatory operations, and education and public outreach. For more information, please visit the Laboratory website at www.ligo.caltech.edu. This position is an in-person role located in Pasadena, California.
As a Research Engineer in the LIGO Laboratory, you will have the opportunity to apply your skills to the design and implementation of technologies that increase the LIGO detector sensitivity and astrophysical reach, and to the development of the future interferometric detectors of the next decades. This position focuses on the development and characterization of the extremely high performance systems used for the LIGO interferometer, including but not limited to: the test mass mirrors, a critical component with state of the art performance: greater than 99.999% reflection, extremely low scatter, sub-part-per-million absorption and very low thermal noise; laser systems with unparalleled stability; seismic and vibration isolation systems; optical telescopes and sensors.

This is a highly multidisciplinary activity and your interests and passions will play a role in defining which research aspect you will focus primarily on.

You will have the opportunity to apply your knowledge to many different parts and aspects of the current and future LIGO detectors, and there will be many opportunities to develop new skills and expertise.

Essential Job Duties

  • Support the cutting edge R&D program at the LIGO laboratory aimed at improving the sensitivity of the current and future detectors, in collaboration with scientists and engineers in the LIGO Laboratory and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration.
  • Support the development, characterization and deployment of LIGO core optics components, such as test masses and other optical components.
  • Design, construct and operate experiments and measurement systems to test new coatings and new technologies for current and future gravitational-wave instruments.
  • Collaborate in the R&D for core components of the LIGO interferometers including: seismic isolation, suspensions, core optics, lasers, mode matching systems, adaptive optics systems.
  • Collaborate with vendors and other research groups on the development of technologies and components relevant for the LIGO detector upgrades.
  • Develop strong working relationships and collaborations with scientists and engineers at the two LIGO Observatories.
  • This position requires occasional travel to other LIGO installations and collaborating institutions in Livingston, Louisiana, Hanford, Washington, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and possibly internationally.
  • Applicants must be able to work in a cleanroom and laser environment for extended periods of time.
  • Must be able to lift and/or carry 20 or more pounds of lab and/or prototype equipment.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

  • A Bachelor in Physics, Engineering, Optics, or related experimental field.
  • A minimum of 3 years post bachelor degree experience as an experimental physicist, engineer or equivalent laboratory setting; this can be in a professional work environment or as part of further education.
  • A minimum of 2 years experience with scientific computations and modeling using MATLAB, python or similar tools; this can be a significant contribution to a research project or work for a private employer.
  • Experience with the design and construction of engineered systems or research experiments.
  • Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, as presentation of your work and findings to senior member of the LIGO laboratory is critical.
  • Demonstrable experience of successfully working with a team.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Master or Ph.D. in Physics or equivalent experience.
  • Experience with mechanical CAD (Solidworks or equivalent) and Optical Design CAD (Zemax or equivalent).
  • Experience with gravitational-wave detector technology.

Required Documents

  • A cover letter is a required document for this position. Please write a letter that summarizes your relevant experience and your interest in working at LIGO.
  • Resume.

Please find here details.

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LIGO Laboratory Job Opening: Senior Scientist, at LIGO Caltech

LIGO Laboratory (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) seeks a highly motivated and skilled Senior Scientist to join its team with experience in research, design and problem solving in a collaborative environment. LIGO Laboratory is a National Science Foundation major facility dedicated to observing gravitational-waves. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the LIGO Laboratory operates world-leading observatories near Richland, WA and Baton Rouge, LA as well as R&D centers on the Caltech and MIT campuses. The LIGO Laboratory’s mission spans a broad and vibrant array of activities related to gravitational-wave physics and astronomy, including detector operations, R&D toward detector improvements, gravitational-wave astrophysics, observatory operations, and education and public outreach. For more information, please visit the Laboratory website at www.ligo.caltech.edu. This position is an in-person role located in Pasadena, California.  The successful candidate will report to the most senior engineers at LIGO Lab. Given how important core optics and optical coatings are for LIGO today and LIGO tomorrow this is an important position and offers the individual an important role within LIGO Lab. This is an exciting opportunity to work with world-leading scientists and engineers on cutting-edge science. This selected candidate will be a vital part of our talented team, helping to lead LIGO into the future.

A full list of the job duties including opportunities for creativity, direction and planning are listed below.  

Essential Job Duties

  • Perform optical design and analysis.
  • Conducting research on optical designs and optical coatings.
  • Direct and assist with testing, analysis, and oversight of precision optical metrology instruments to test hypotheses and gather data.
  • Support the operation and maintenance of world-class, precision optical characterization and metrology facilities. 
  • Develop optical specifications, policies, and procedures. 
  • Provide technical expert support for multi-million-dollar contracts with optics and coating fabricators providing cutting edge technology that enables LIGO’s extreme sensitivity. 
  • Provide ongoing modifications and solution alternatives to meet current and future research and observatory requirements 
  • Conceptualize the design and direct the development of enhanced measurement techniques and improved optics.
  • Diagnose and design solutions and modifications in response to optic, optical equipment or component malfunctions and failures.
  • Support the current lead with overseeing the Caltech Optical Sciences Group, including technical, budget, resource, and task management 
  • Provide technical guidance as well as technical oversight to matrixed engineering and science staff working on optics, opto-electronics, and interferometry.
  • Communicate (written and verbal) technical progress and budget/resource status on various projects, internally within the organization and externally to parties outside the organization
  • Over time, take on people-management responsibilities and coach junior staff, encourage professional development, conduct annual reviews and nurture the team.
  • Other Duties as Assigned

Basic Qualifications

  • BS in Physics, Astronomy or Engineering.
  • A minimum of 10 years of experience with high precision optics.
  • A minimum of 8 years of experience in mentoring junior scientists and/or students.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of optical design, analysis, and testing for interferometry.
  • Experience directly using scientific observation and analysis, creative thinking, and method development to solve problems related to optics and optical systems. 
  • Significant experience with precision optical metrology.
  • Significant experience with technical specifications and support for contracting optical fabrication.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Masters or a PhD. in a related field.
  • Significant experience in technical supervision of a group of 5 or more staff.
  • Experience in project management including use of MS Project for project management and planning.
  • History of working in and with International Collaborations with Optical scientists and other professionals, including mechanical, electrical, and computer engineers, physicists, and research scientists, to invent original concepts for optical products and improve existing devices.

Required Documents

  • Resume. 
  • Cover Letter is a required document for this position. Please summarize your relevant experience and your interest in working at LIGO Lab.

Please find here full details.

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Research Fellow in Nanohertz Gravitational Waves at University of Birmingham

University of Birmingham is 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. Apply Before 10/01/2026, 12:59 AM.

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.

Role Summary

  • 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(at)bham.ac.uk

Please find here details.

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PhD Researcher in Compact High-Precision Sensors for Science and Industry at nikhef

This vacancy is for a four-year PhD position focusing on the development of the optical readout of the CHiPS sensor. Your research will centre on a homodyne quadrature interferometric readout, with the aim of combining high sensitivity with the robustness and stability required for continuous operation. You will investigate and develop the interferometric sensing architecture through modelling, experimental development and characterisation. The readout will be designed to operate in both open-loop mode, using fringe counting, and closed-loop mode. Developing the closed-loop system will involve close collaboration with the control-design PhD researcher at TU Delft, while achieving a robust and compact sensor will require close interaction with the optomechanics PhD researcher. The deadline for applications is Sunday 4 October 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

The position

Many state-of-the-art sensors demonstrate exceptional performance in the laboratory, but achieving that performance can require careful manual optimisation, frequent recalibration or precise realignment. Such an approach is not sufficient for applications that require sensors to operate continuously and autonomously in demanding environments.

The CHiPS (Compact High-Precision Sensors) project aims to address this challenge by combining advanced sensing and control techniques into compact, robust and extremely high-performance inertial sensors. The goal is to move beyond laboratory demonstrations and develop sensors that can operate reliably for extended periods without manual intervention. The resulting technology will target applications ranging from semiconductor manufacturing to next-generation gravitational-wave detectors.

The CHiPS project is being carried out by a team of three PhD researchers: one based in the gravitational-wave research group at Nikhef (this vacancy) and two based in the Precision and Microsystems Engineering (PME) department at Delft University of Technology. The three PhD projects address complementary aspects of the sensor:

  • optical readout and interferometric sensing at Nikhef;
  • optomechanical design at TU Delft; and
  • sensing, control and feedback at TU Delft.

The project is funded through the Dutch National Growth Fund NXTGEN programme of NWO and is carried out in collaboration with industrial and academic partners, including ASML.

Please find here full details