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Postdoc position GW Instrumentation at the University of Antwerp

The Department of Physics in the Faculty of Science is looking for a full-time (100%) postdoctoral scholarship holder in the field of Physics or a related field.

The Particle Physics research group carries out research in particle physics (CMS experiment at CERN LHC) and gravitational waves. Members of the group are involved with Virgo instrumentation, LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA data analysis, and Instrumentation Science with the Einstein Telescope. The University of Antwerp is a founding partner of the ETPathfinder project, and members of the group take part in the instrumentation developments related to this facility in Maastricht. The University of Antwerp is also one of the initial founding research units of the Einstein Telescope Collaboration.

Are you interested in technology and techniques which allow us to observe black holes colliding a million light years out in the cosmos? We are looking for a postdoc to work on the cross section of research, education and collaboration with industry and join the ETpathfinder Smart Skills Lab project. Application deadline is 26 February 2026.

ETpathfinder is a field laboratory for research, development and validation of new technologies for the Einstein Telescope. Based on a full interferometer configuration ETpathfinder aims to perform length measurements at the level of a thousandths of a proton diameter, which requires going beyond the state of art in a variety of fields including optics, sensors, lasers, materials, cryogenic cooling, vibration damping, vacuum and controls.

The ETpathfinder Smart Skills lab is a new initiative with the aim of providing training to companies and industry partners in ETpathfinder related technologies and skills. These skills trainings will be offered in particular to small and medium enterprises (SME) in Flanders and the south of the Netherlands (Limburg and Noord Brabant). The ETpathfinder Smart Skills lab is an initiative of 17 academic and educational partners from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Position

  • You would join a cohort of 11 ETpathfinder Technology Experts who will initially work for 12 months with the ETpathfinder team to get trained in the ETpathfinder facility at Maastricht. Afterwards you will develop training modules and deliver them (online & practical) to SMEs.
  • You will work in close collaboration with the ETpathfinder team (consisting of more than 20 research institutes and universities from 7 countries) and the ETpathfinder Smart Skills Lab team.
  • The location of this full-time job is in the Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium. You will be expected to spend a significant fraction of your time at the ETpathfinder facility in Maastricht (Maastricht University, Duboisdomein 30, Maastricht, the Netherlands).
  • Your research focus will be on seismic isolation & control, which is also the primary commitment of the University of Antwerp towards the ETpathfinder project. This involves contributions to the construction, installation, and commissioning of position sensors, actuators, mirror tower suspensions, and local control loops. During the second phase of the project you will use your obtained experience in this field to develop training modules (tutorials, etc.) and transfer your knowledge to local industry (SMEs).

Profile

  • You hold a PhD in Physics or a related field from a non-Belgian institution (or you will have obtained it by the time you start work).
  • You are proficient in English language and have good communication skills (essential)
  • You can work independently (essential)
  • You are flexible in collaboration with others (essential)
  • Experience in research relevant for gravitational wave instrumentation (desirable)
  • Experience in education and outreach (desirable)
  • Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies.
  • Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision.
  • You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.

What we offer

  • We offer a full-time appointment as a postdoctoral scholarship holder for a period of 2-years (1+1 renewable);
  • The planned start date is 1 April 2026 or as soon as possible after that date.
  • Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for postdoctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for Contract Research Staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
  • You will receive ecocheques, Internet-connectivity allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
  • You will do most of your work at the university campus Groenenborger, and at the ETpathfinder facility in Maastricht, Duboisdomein 30 (NL) in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
  • Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.

Want to apply?

  • You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including 26 February 2026 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the ‘Apply’ button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:
  • a motivation letter (with description of past research)
  • your academic CV
  • three letters of reference
  • The selection committee reviews all applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision is made, we will notify you. If you are still eligible after the pre-selection, you will be informed about the possible next step(s) in the selection procedure.
  • If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs(at)uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact dr. Hans Van Haevermaet (hans.vanhaevermaet(at)uantwerpen.be).

Please find here details.

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Supermassive Black Holes and Blue Notes, June 29 – Juli 3 2026 at Université de Montréal

Held a week before the world-renowned Montreal International Jazz Festival, the conference aims to spotlight the significant progress made in the study of supermassive black holes, addressing open questions and exploring future prospects, particularly in the wake of the latest observations from JWST.

Main themes

  • Advanced Techniques for Measuring Supermassive Black Hole Properties
  • Observations of Supermassive Black Holes at the Event Horizon Scale
  • Feeding and Feedback Processes of Supermassive Black Holes
  • High-Redshift Supermassive Black Hole Formation and Growth

Registration Info

Registration has not opened, but you can pre-register here, and we will keep you updated.

Organising Committees

Scientific Organising Committee (SOC):
Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo (UdeM)
Martin Bureau (Oxford)
Daryl Haggard (McGill)
Romeel Dave (Edinburgh)
Claude-Andre Faucher-Giguere (Northwestern)
Frank Eisenhauer (MPE)
Chiara Mingarelli (Yale)
Sara Issaoun (Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Roberto Maiolino (Cambridge/Kavli)
Priya Natarajan (Yale)

Local Organising Committee (LOC):

Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo (UdeM)
Martin Bureau (Oxford)
Daryl Haggard (McGill)
Marine Claude Anne Prunier (UdeM)
Olivia Pereira (UdeM)
Benjamin Vigneron (UdeM)
Hyunseop Choi (UdeM)
Hengyue Zhang (Oxford)
Anabel X. Li (UdeM)

Conference Website

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From Black Holes to the Cosmos, August 24-28 at SISSA, Trieste

This conference honors the scientific legacy of Matt Visser, whose pioneering work has profoundly influenced our understanding of general relativity, quantum field theory in curved spacetime, wormholes, energy conditions, analogue gravity, and beyond. Gathering colleagues, collaborators, and students from around the world, the meeting will highlight recent developments at the interface of geometry, gravitation, and quantum theory, while celebrating Visser's distinctive contributions to these fields. The conference will be hosted in the Aula Magna of SISSA Miramare Campus.

Invited speakers (TBC):

Matt Visser
Carl Bender
Ivan Booth
Erik Curiel
Fay Dowker
Ted Jacobson
Eleni-Alexandra Kontou
Francisco Lobo
Robert Mann
Erik Poisson
Ralf Schützhold
Thomas Sotiriou
Bill Unruh
Cliff Will
David Wiltshire

Conference Website

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PhD position in AI-driven inference for gravitational-wave cosmology with LISA at University of Amsterdam

Are you excited by gravitational waves, cosmology, and modern AI-based analysis techniques? Do you enjoy developing new methods and working closely with theorists and LISA instrument and data-analysis teams? Join the GRAPPA research center at the University of Amsterdam to tackle the global analysis of data from the next-generation Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and help shape the future of gravitational-wave cosmology. Closes on February 15th 2026.

We are seeking an enthusiastic PhD candidate to develop cutting-edge, AI-driven inference methods for next-generation gravitational-wave astronomy, with a focus on cosmology and astroparticle physics. The position is based at the University of Amsterdam within the GRAPPA Center of Excellence, where you will join the research group of Dr. Christoph Weniger and work in close collaboration with an international network of theorists, machine-learning and AI experts, and LISA instrument and data-analysis teams, at the interface of fundamental physics and modern data science.

The PhD project is centered on the analysis of data from the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and addresses key challenges such as the global inference of large populations of overlapping gravitational-wave sources and stochastic backgrounds. The ultimate goal is to extract new information about the early Universe and fundamental physics—including inflationary processes, dark matter, and dark energy—from LISA’s rich gravitational-wave data.

What you will do

You will work as part of a strong, collaborative research team on the development and application of AI-based inference methods for gravitational-wave cosmology, focusing on complex, high-dimensional LISA data.

A central element of the project is the use of simulation-based inference (SBI)—a rapidly developing alternative to classical likelihood-based data analysis enabled by recent advances in deep learning. Within the LISA context, these methods are developed in a complementary way to existing likelihood-based and pipeline-driven efforts aimed at achieving a global fit of the data, providing new tools to address LISA’s computational and statistical challenges.

In particular, you will work on sequential, hierarchical, and population-level inference methods for LISA data analysis. Your work will result in publications in leading peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international conferences. You will also contribute to open-source research software and participate in the supervision of Bachelor and Master students.

Tasks and responsibilities:

  • Conducting independent research in gravitational-wave cosmology and data analysis, leading to publications in international peer-reviewed journals;
  • Developing and applying AI-driven inference methods for LISA data;
  • Contributing to open-source software for AI-driven gravitational-wave analysis;
  • Presenting research results at international conferences and workshops;
  • Assisting in the supervision of Bachelor and Master students, including co-supervision of theses and tutoring.

Please find here details.

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Tenure Track/Faculty Position in Physics at SISSA

The Physics Area at the "Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati" (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy, invites expressions of interest for a faculty position from outstanding female candidates with a strong research record in any of the fields covered by the Area (Astrophysics and Cosmology, Astroparticle and Gravitational Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Statistical Physics, Statistical Physics of Biological Systems, Theoretical Particle Physics, Theoretical and Scientific Data Science).

The appointment procedure will be activated at the assistant professor, tenure-track, level* or associate professor level. The successful candidate is expected to work as an independent principal investigator, promoting and leading research activities to complement the current expertise of the present SISSA groups, as well as to attract external funds, take an active part in the SISSA PhD teaching programme, and supervise graduate students (selected on a competitive basis and funded by bursaries provided by SISSA).

Expressions of interest should be sent (in English and via Academic Jobs Online only) preferably by June 10, 2026. They should include:

  1. Curriculum Vitae and the names of at least three referees.
  2. 2. Description of current research interests.
  3. 3. List of ten publications of greatest interest for the selection.

The International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) is a leading research and training institution (PhD School) located in Trieste, Italy. The campus is in a green area on the hills close to Trieste and is efficiently connected to the city by public transport. SISSA offers to its community first rate research facilities (e.g. High Performance Computing facilities) and services (canteen and kindergarten services located on site). The Physics Area at SISSA has connections with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) and the National Council for Research (CNR). SISSA is also a founding member of several research Institutes such as IFPU and iGAP. More information on research in Physics at SISSA can be found here: Physics Area.

*In the Italian system, a tenure-track position corresponds to a “ricercatore TT”, i.e. an assistant professor to be confirmed (on the sole basis of her/his results) as a tenured associate professor starting from three years after appointment.

Please find here details.

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PhD Position in Gravitational-Wave Astronomy at University of Santiago de Compostela, IGFAE

The gravitational-wave research program (GRWA) team at IGFAE invites applications for a PhD position in gravitational-wave astronomy.

The successful candidate will work within the broad field on gravitational-wave data analysis. Particular research topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Searches for black-hole mergers, neutron stars and exotic compact objects in LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA data.
  • Population inference of compact binaries Tests of General Relativity using gravitational-wave observations.
  • Next generation detectors like Einstein Telescope and LISA.

Eligibility
Applicants should hold, or be about to obtain, a Master’s degree in Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy, or a closely related field.

Application Deadline
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply before February 15th, 2026.

Start Date
The contract is expected to start between May 1st and October 31st, 2026.

About IGFAE
IGFAE is a joint research institute of the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Xunta de Galicia. The institute has been awarded both the “María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence” and “Red CIGUS” distinctions, recognising its international scientific excellence. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups in terms of gender identity, ethnic or social origin, disability, or any other characteristic.

Please find here details.

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4th LISA Sprint, May 11-13, 2026 in Bozeman, Montana

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a joint effort of ESA and NASA to develop and operate the first space-based observatory of gravitational waves (GWs) in the millihertz frequency band. To prepare for LISA observations and its unique data products, we are organizing the 4th LISA Sprint in Bozeman, Montana, from Monday May 11 to Wednesday May 13, 2026.

In past LISA Sprints the participants all pitched project ideas at the workshop, and teams selecting the projects they wanted to work on. This time will be a little different. While additional project pitches are still welcome, the focus will be on several pre-defined projects that have been identified as critical needs by the NASA Science Ground Segment team. Participants will be asked to list their preferences for which of the pre-define projects they would be most interested in contributing to in advance of the workshop.

This will be a hands-on workshop: there will be no talks–only brief project descriptions at the beginning of the workshop, and “show and tell” at the close of the meeting to share progress with the group.

In late January 2026 we will advertise the meeting website and application form for interested participants. Please note that space will be limited, so applying does not guarantee acceptance. Accepted applicants will be notified by the end of February. There is no financial support available to attend the meeting, nor is there any registration fee for participating.

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16th International LISA Symposium, June 22-26, 2026, College Park, Maryland

The 16th International LISA Symposium will highlight gravitational wave astrophysics, with a primary focus on the most up-to-date theory and analysis that will inform science to be performed by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.

Details on remote participation, which will be limited, will be announced when registration opens in early 2026.

The symposium will be held at the University of Maryland’s Adele H. Stamp Student Union on June 22-26, 2026 in College Park, Maryland, USA.

Scientific Organizing Committee

  • Shane Larson (Chair), Clarkson University
  • Stanislav Babak, APC – Paris
  • Richard Brito, Instituto Superior Técnico
  • Maria José Bustamante Rosell, Fisk & Vanderbilt Universities
  • Laurentiu Caramete, Institute of Space Science, Bucharest-Magurele
  • Eleonora Castelli, University of Maryland, Baltimore County & NASA GSFC
  • Maria Charisi, Washington State University & University of Crete
  • Nelson Christensen, Observeratoire Cote d’Azur
  • John Conklin, University of Florida
  • Neil Cornish, Montana State University
  • Daniel J. D’Orazio, Space Telescope Science Institute
  • Deborah Ferguson, University of Rhode Island
  • Alessia Franchini, Università degli Studi di Milano
  • Daryl Haggard, McGill Unviersity, Trottier Space Instittue
  • Zoltan Haiman, Institute of Science & Technology Austria
  • Sarah Vigeland, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
  • Stefano Vitale, Università di Trento
  • Gudrun Wanner, AEI – Hannover
  • David Weir, University of Helsinki
  • Helvi Witek, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • William Joseph Weber, Università di Trento

Local Organizing Committee

Peter Shawhan, University of Maryland
Ann Hornschemeier Cardiff, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Ira Thorpe, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Elizabeth Ferrara, University of Maryland

First held in 1996, the International LISA Symposium is held every two years to celebrate and share infornation and science related to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna mission, a three-arm space-based gravitational wave detector being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA).

History

A listing of prior LISA Symposia and links to their websites can be found here.

Conference Website

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Gravity2026: New Frontiers in Cosmology, April 27 – May 1 2026 in Daejeon

GRAVITY2026: New Frontiers in Cosmology will be held on-site at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Daejeon, Korea, from 27 April to 1 May, 2026. The aim of the workshop is to foster comprehensive and in-depth discussions on the rapidly expanding frontiers of gravitational physics. The program will cover a wide spectrum of topics central to cosmology, including gravitational waves, early- and late-time cosmology, and theories of modified gravity.

This workshop is mainly organized by the IBS Center CTPU-CGA and is held on-site at the Institute for Basic Science in Daejeon, Korea. There is no registration fee. f you wish to attend, please register by 29 March 2026, 23:59 KST. We will also accept a number of contributed talks: if you wish to give a contributed talk, please register for the workshop by the above date and submit a title and abstract by 5 Apeil 2026, 23:59 KST. The selection will be made by the organizing committee.  Please note that we are not able to support VISA applications from non-invited speakers except in special cases. 

For information about previous events, please see:

Gravity2022: Current challenges in black hole physics and cosmology

Gravity2023: Dawn of field theoretic approach

Gravity2025: New horizon of black hole physics

Important deadlines:

Registration: 29 March 2026, 23:59 KST

Abstract submission: 5 April 2026, 23:59 KST

Confirmed Invited Speakers:

Ana Achucarro (Leiden U, Netherlands)

Antonio De Felice (YITP, Japan)

Jaume Garriga (ICCUB, Spain)

Fawad Hassan (Stockholm U, Sweden)

Donghui Jeong (Penn State U, USA)

Matteo Magi (IBS, Korea)

Takahiro Matsubara (KEK, Japan)

Shinji Mukohyama (YITP/RESCEU, Japan)

Nils Albin Nilsson (IBS, Korea)

Changbom Park (KIAS, Korea)

Seong Chan Park (Yonsei U, Korea)

Mairi Sakellariadou (King’s Coll. London, UK)

Misao Sasaki (APCTP/IPMU, Korea and Japan)

Teruaki Suyama (Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan)

Gianmassimo Tasinato (Swansea U, UK)

Niels Warburton (University Coll. Dublin, Ireland)

Local Organizing Committee:

Sebastian Bahamonde, Mohammad Ali Gorji, Dong-Won Jung, Nils Albin Nilsson, Hyunbae Park, Masahide Yamaguchi

Scientific Advisory Committee:

Katsuki Aoki (YITP), Antonio De Felice (YITP), Francesco Di Filippo (Goethe U.), Mohammad Ali Gorji (IBS), Shinji Mukohyama (YITP/RESCEU), Naritaka Oshita (YITP), Masroor C. Pookkillath (Sogang U.), Kazufumi Takahashi (Nihon U.), Masahide Yamaguchi (IBS)

Contact:

For general inquiries, please use ctpu-cga-admin(AT)ibs.re.kr

Workshop Website

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WE Heraeus Physics School und 62. Karpacz Winter School in Theoretical Physics “Multimessenger Astrophysics and Cosmology”, February 28 – March 6 2026 in Karpacz

The WE Heraeus Physics School and the 62nd Karpacz Winter School in Theoretical Physics "Multimessenger Astrophysics and Cosmology" will be held from 28 February to 6 March 2026.

Compact stars, dense remnants of supernovae, compress about 1.4 solar masses into a 10 km radius—reaching densities beyond atomic nuclei. Their extreme compactness makes them unique laboratories for high-density matter. Gravitational-wave detections of binary neutron star mergers now allow direct probes of such conditions, with hot, dynamic post-merger remnants offering complementary insight to cold pulsars.

With next-generation observatories like the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, multi-messenger astrophysics—combining gravitational waves, electromagnetic signals, and neutrinos—will sharpen constraints on the dense-matter equation of state, extreme gravity, and heavy-element nucleosynthesis. Mergers also serve as standard sirens, enabling independent measurements of the Hubble constant.

The school will cover the thermal history of the Universe after its first second, from the quark–hadron transition to neutrino decoupling, linking microphysics to cosmological observables. Topics include the Hubble tension, modified gravity, primordial magnetic fields, compact-object mergers, future gravitational-wave science, and primordial black holes as dark-matter or galaxy-seed candidates—offering a unified view across astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics.

School Website