Skip to content

Category: News

Posted on

Postdoc position (3 years) in Madrid

We invite applications for a 3-year postdoctoral research position in the field of cosmology and gravitational wave data analysis. The successful candidate will join the Instituto de Estructura de la Materia (IEM - CSIC) in Madrid to work with Dr. Mauro Pieroni and Dr. Jesús Torrado. The proposed starting date is October 1st, 2026. The deadline for application is on the 15th of November.

The research focus is the development and application of advanced inference techniques to extract cosmological and astrophysical information from gravitational wave observations. Specific areas of interest include Bayesian methodologies (hierarchical modelling, classical and machine-learning approaches), synergies between gravitational waves and other cosmological probes, and theoretical and computational developments in multi-messenger cosmology. Strong candidates with only partial overlap will also be considered.

Qualifications

  • A PhD in physics, astronomy, or a related field by the start date.
  • Expertise in cosmology, gravitational wave physics, or data analysis.
  • Strong background in statistical inference and computational methods, preferably including MCMC/nested sampling/variational inference, and machine learning methods.
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative team.

Application Instructions
Applicants should submit the following materials to mauro.pieroni(at)csic.es and jesus.torrado(at)csic.es:

  • Cover letter (max 1 page)
  • Curriculum Vitae (max 2 pages) and list of publications.
  • Research statement, briefly summarising past work and current interests (max 2 pages).

Please, arrange for 3 letters of recommendation to be sent to the same email addresses by the deadline.

Deadline for full consideration
November 15th, 2025 (but applications will be considered until the position is filled).

For inquiries, please contact
mauro.pieroni(at)csic.es and jesus.torrado(at)csic.es

Please find here full details.

Posted on

Two postdoc positions at Syracuse University

Syracuse University is seeking two gravitational-wave experimentalist postdocs. The positions begin on or around January 1, 2026.

Postdoc in High Power Laser Applications under Professor Craig Cahillane, who is working on building a ultra-high power photoneutralization cavity for applications in nuclear fusion and gravitational wave detectors. Read more

Postdoc in Quantum Optics under Professor Georgia Mansell, who is working on understanding the interactions of squeezed light with complex interferometers, as well as building an electrostatic violin mode damper for Advanced LIGO. Read more

Both are involved in the optical design of Cosmic Explorer, the United States’ third generation gravitational wave observatory.Open until filled.

Posted on

Tenure-track Research Assistant position opening at GSSI

The Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level (equivalent to “RTT” in the Italian academic system). This is a tenure-track appointment with a clearly defined path to tenure within three to six years, based on performance.

The selected candidate is expected to carry out high-level research in the field of gravitational-wave observations, with particular emphasis on astrophysics, fundamental physics, and multi-messenger astrophysics. Applicants must demonstrate solid and proven experience in advanced data analysis and theoretical-numerical modeling of gravitational-wave sources.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications by November 6, 2025 (23:59 CET time).

The call announcement is published here, and the full text of the call for applications is available at the following link.

GSSI is an international PhD school and a center for advanced research and higher education in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Social Sciences. The Physics Division hosts scientists conducting cutting-edge research in areas such as gravitational waves, multi-messenger and high-energy astrophysics, cosmology, dark matter detection, and neutrinoless double beta decay.

Each year, the GSSI admits approximately 10–15 physics PhD students from a highly competitive pool of applicants worldwide. Faculty members are actively involved in both teaching and supervising students’ research, particularly in the field of Astroparticle Physics.

The gravitational-wave group at GSSI comprises around 30 researchers, including PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and 8 faculty members.

More information on research in physics at GSSI can be found here.

Posted on

Data Preprocessing Engineer for the LISA Space Mission M/F at LTE Paris

The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) space mission will allow the detection of low frequency gravitational waves and will have a large scientific impact in various fields such as astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. The LISA mission consists in performing interferometric  measurements  of  laser  links  exchanged  between  three  spacecraft  in heliocentric  orbits.  The  signatures  from  gravitational  waves  will  be  imprinted  in  those interferometric  measurements  and  will  have  to  be  extracted  from  various  instrumental noises. In particular, it will be crucial to reduce the laser frequency noise by about 8 orders of magnitude in order to reach the sensitivity required to detect gravitational waves. This will be achieved  by  a  technique  named  “Time  Delay  Interferometry”  (TDI)  which  combines  the various interferometric measurements by applying temporal delays. This procedure will be performed during the data preprocessing step which will also reduce various other noises 
present in the LISA data. The resulting TDI data will be used to search for gravitational waves.

In this project, we will develop new methods to reduce various noises in the LISA data efficiently in order to detect gravitational waves and to extract scientific results for various types of sources. These methods will then be implemented in a LISA data preprocessing pipeline.

This position is devoted either to a researcher or to a software engineer. Strong skills in software development, data analysis, and numerical calculations are required. In addition, knowledge of the LISA mission and of its instruments will be favoured.

This project will be conducted within the « Theory and metrology” group at LTE, which is largely involved in the development of the LISA preprocessing pipeline. Furthermore, LTE is also developing laser systems needed to test various LISA instrument components, is involved in the development of galactic binary waveforms and will be involved in the validation and testing of the payload. LTE is a full member of the LISA consortium and the group has developed various collaborations around these topics.

The position is initially for one year, starting earliest on February 1 st 2026, with the possibility of extension to two or more years.

For further information, contact Marc Lilley (marc.lilley(at)obspm.fr), Aurélien Hees (aurelien.hees(at)obspm.fr) or Peter Wolf (peter.wolf(at)obspm.fr). Applications should be made through the CNRS website, see https://tinyurl.com/4r683pv3

Posted on

PhD position in Numerical Relativity in Jena

Applications are invited for a PhD position in Numerical Relativity at the Theoretical Physics Institute (TPI) FSU Jena, Germany.

The successful applicant will join the team led by Prof. Sebastiano Bernuzzi and work on numerical relativity simulations of neutron star mergers. The position is part of a cross-border project between Jena and Prof. David Radice’s group at Penn State University (USA). The project is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF) under the DFG-NSF Physics initiative. Candidates with background in numerical relativity, relativistic astrophysics and/or multi-messenger astrophysics with neutron star mergers are encouraged to apply. Application deadline: November 2nd 2025.

The application should be sent by e-mail to ‘sebastiano.bernuzzi[AT]uni-jena.de’ by November 2nd, 2025.
Review of the applications shall start immediately after that date; short-listed candidates will be invited for interviews.

Please submit a single PDF file and use as e-mail subject: ‘Application for PhD position – SURNAME NAME’.
Candidates should submit the following documents:

  1. a copy of their MSc diploma or a binding statement of its date of completion together with exam results,
  2. a CV including the list of publications,
  3. a short statement of research achievements and interests (maximum 2 pages).

Applicants should arrange for letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the same e-mail address above.

Posted on

Henriette Herz Postdoc Fellowship in Particle Cosmology (female applicants only) in Münster

Two-year Humboldt postdoc fellowship via the Henriette Herz program for a female early-career researcher in the field of particle cosmology. The successful candidate will join the research group of Kai Schmitz at the University of Münster (“Particle Cosmology Münster”) and carry out research at the intersection of pulsar timing array (PTA) searches for gravitational waves and new physics beyond the Standard Model. Application deadline: October 31st, 2025.

Eligibility criteria

– PhD during the last four years, or about to obtain it before September 2026

– Strong background in theoretical particle physics and cosmology

– Willing to join the NANOGrav PTA collaboration as an associate member

– Interested in working with us on PTA searches for new physics

– Available to start in 2025 or 2026, but before November 2026

Application documents

– Cover letter

– CV

– List of publications

– Research essay on novel ideas for searches for new physics at the PTA frontier: explain what contribution to the PTA science program you would be able to make thanks to your background in particle physics. This is an ideas competition; the research essay will be assigned a large weight in the selection process.

Please send your application documents by October 31st, 2025 to kai.schmitz(at)uni-muenster.de. In addition, please arrange for two reference letters to be sent, independently of your own application, to the same address (kai.schmitz(at)uni-muenster.de) by October 31st, 2025.

Posted on

PhD positions at the International Helmholtz-Weizmann Research School on Multimessenger Astronomy

The school aims at bringing highly qualified and motivated graduate students to the forefront of the field of Multimessenger astronomy through a world-class international training environment. PhD students will work with leading scientists in the field and benefit from their complementary expertise in theory and experiments involving the various messengers. Application deadline November 7th, 2025.

Please finde here full details and how to apply.

Posted on

PhD Program in Astronomy and Astrophysics at Leiden University

Leiden Observatory invites applications for approximately 6-10 new PhD positions. The four-year PhD program consists mostly of research under the supervision of one or more faculty members. Positions are available in most of the research areas in which the Observatory is active. These include galaxy formation and evolution, stars and planetary systems, computational astrophysics, high energy astrophysics, and instrumentation. More information about research at Leiden Observatory can be found here. Application deadline: November 15th, 2025.

Leiden Observatory, founded in 1633, is the oldest university astronomy department in the world. With about 35 faculty, over 40 postdoctoral associates and about 65 PhD students it is the largest astronomy department in the Netherlands. Leiden is a charming university town with an international flair. Most Leiden researchers have an international background. English is the common language.

During their thesis, Leiden PhD students are paid as civil servants, which means that they earn competitive salaries (the current annual gross salary, including allowances, increases from about EUR 37,000 in year 1 to about EUR 47,000 in year 4) and are eligible for both social security and retirement benefits. PhD positions are funded for four years.

Application forms and instructions are available at https://local.strw.leidenuniv.nl/jobs/phd/. Applicants are requested to upload a curriculum vitae, a list of all university courses taken and transcripts of grades obtained, brief statements of research interests and experience, and the contact information for at least two referees.

The successful candidates must have a MSc degree (or equivalent) by the starting date. The starting dates are negotiable.

Please find here full details.

Posted on

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. 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 Monday 10 November 2025, 23:59 UTC

Call for applications

Applications can be submitted at any time by sending email to arvp(at)cosmos.esa.int. The email should contain a single PDF document of at most three pages detailing:

  • description of the goals of the research project
  • public archival data on which help is sought
  • which type of expertise you expect to gain
  • proposed time and duration of the visit
  • expected publications
  • contact information

Please keep it short (max 3 pages) and follow the simple template provided here. Note that this is just a template, you can use the font type and size that you prefer (not smaller than 10), but please do not exceed three pages. You must indicate the (expected) year of your PhD.

To prevent unconscious biases, your name, email address, and other contact information (on the third page) will not be visible to reviewers. To help in the process, you must write your application in an “anonymous” way, i.e. do not identify yourself in the text. For instance, do not mention the name of your institute or collaborators in the scientific description of the project (page 1 and 2) and when you are referring to one of your papers, do not write “I have shown that … (Author Name, 2023, Journal, 954, 125)”, but rather write “It has been shown that … (Author Name, 2023, Journal, 954, 125)”. If you identify yourself, the application will not be considered.

We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about the data that could support your research project. You will find the names of our experts in the various science areas in the table of expertise below. Or write to the programme coordinators for assistance at arvp(at)cosmos.esa.int. 

Students

We welcome proposals by graduate students. The proposals can be submitted by the students themselves or in collaboration with their supervisors. If you are a student and would like to visit ESA to learn more about doing science with archival data, make sure that you coordinate and agree your research project with your supervisor. Mention this in the application, but omit the name of the supervisor, otherwise the application is not anonymous.

Deadlines

Applications can be submitted at any time and are reviewed twice a year, with deadlines usually on 30 April and 31 October. The results of the review will be communicated to applicants within about two months of the deadlines. Applicants are encouraged to contact the ESA scientists or the programme coordinators well ahead of the deadlines in order to discuss their research plans. 

Applications received by 10 November 2025 (23:59 UTC) will be considered for visits in spring and summer 2026. 

Please find here full details.

Posted on

PhD and Postdoctoral positions at GRAPPA University of Amsterdam

We invite applications for one or more in general relativity, gravitational wave astrophysics, and dark matter phenomenology, funded by the ERC Advanced Grant “De Tenebris” (PI: Prof. Gianfranco Bertone) and hosted at GRAPPA, University of Amsterdam. Application deadline: December 1st, 2025.

PhD positions — Apply via AcademicJobsOnline (#30677):
https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30677

Postdoctoral positions — Apply via AcademicJobsOnline (#30676):
https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30676

GRAPPA is the center of excellence in gravitation and astroparticle physics at the University of Amsterdam, located at Amsterdam Science Park. We offer a vibrant research environment with strong ties to major experimental collaborations (including LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA, LISA, and Einstein Telescope).

The successful candidates will have the opportunity to collaborate with GRAPPA faculty (S. Ando, D. Baumann, G. Bertone, P. Decowski, B. Freivogel, A. Heijboer, S. Markoff, P. Moesta, S. Nissanke, J. Vink, A. Watts, C. Weniger), postdocs, and students, as well as with external partners in the broader gravitational waves and dark matter communities.

The University of Amsterdam is an equal-opportunity employer, committed to building a diverse and inclusive community. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.