Category: Positions

Observations of massive black hole binaries for the LISA mission
Application deadline: 7 June 2026, 23:59 Italian time 

The Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) has opened a public competition for 1 fixed-term Researcher position (Third Professional Level) at the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri in Florence, Italy.

Main Information

Position: Researcher (full-time, fixed-term)
Contract duration: 12 months, with possible extension
Research topic: Multiwavelength observations of dual and binary AGN as precursors of gravitational wave events detectable by LISA; study of merger rates of massive black holes and comparison between observations and theoretical predictions. Participation to the Italian LISA low-latency WG.
Workplace: INAF – Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, Florence, Italy
Gross salary: about 38.000 Euro
Competition code: 2026INAFRIC-OAA-LISA-003
Official call for applications (in Italian): http://www.inaf.it/it/lavora-con-noi/concorsi-e-selezioni/posizioni-a-tempo-determinato/ricercatori/2026inafric-oaa-lisa-003

Required qualifications

Applicants must have:

• A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Physics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, or related fields
• A PhD in Physics, Astronomy, or Astrophysics OR at least 3 years of documented post-graduate research experience in related topics

Applicants with foreign degrees are eligible to apply. Degrees obtained abroad will be accepted provided they are equivalent to the required Italian qualifications. The formal recognition process is required only for the selected candidate.

Citizenship requirements

The call is open to:

• EU citizens
• Non-EU citizens with long-term EU residence permits
• Refugees or individuals with subsidiary protection status
• Family members of EU citizens with residence rights in the EU

Application Procedure

Applications must be submitted online only through the Italian public recruitment portal: inPA Recruitment Portal

The application platform used is PICA/CINECA: PICA Platform

For more information please write to Filippo Mannucci filippo.mannucci(at)inaf.it

Open position for: Research associate (“logisticien.ne de Recherche”) (Gravitational waves instrumentation) University of Liège for a permanent contract (full time) starting ideally start on the 1st of September 2026. Application deadline: May 30th, 2026.

Context and missions
The Einstein Telescope (ET) will be Europe’s most advanced observatory for gravitational waves. It will allow researchers to hear black holes mergers and learn about the early universe.

The department of aerospace and mechanical engineering of University of Liège hosts the ET-CRISTAL facilities. ET-CRISTAL is an R&D facility for demonstrating crucial aspects of ET-Low Frequency. It uses innovative approaches for seismic isolation, i.e. an inverted pendulum stage on top of active seismic isolation platform and contact-free radiative cryogenic cooling of a large-scale cryogenic mirror. ET-CRISTAL is a Center of Excellence for the sub-system comprising the mirror, its suspension system, the vibration Isolation system, and cryogenic cooling of the mirror.

The Precision Mechatronics Laboratory within the Department of Aerospace and Mechanics (A&M) and from the School of Engineering at the University of Liège invites applications for an open position as a research associate in gravitational wave instrumentation at ET-CRISTAL. The facilities are installed at the Space Center (CSL) of the University of Liège and the main research offices of the Precision Mechatronics Laboratory are located within the Department.

As a Research Associate, you will have as missions to:

• Lead the management of ET-CRISTAL facilities together with the Scientific Director (Prof. C. Collette), including research logistics, participation and tutoring of Master and PhD students as well as fellow researchers.
• Develop and support research activities in fields relevant to ET-CRISTAL
• Contribute to securing new funding and develop new collaborations

Application requirements

• To hold a PhD in engineering, or an equivalent experience.
• To have proven experience in one or several of these fields:
  • cryogenic inertial sensors
  • low frequency seismic isolation
  • radiative cooling
  • thermal noise modeling
  • Newtonian noise

You must also have strong project management skills, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills in English and, if possible, in French. You should be able to take the initiative and be skilled in negotiation and consensus-building.

We offer

• A pleasant and dynamic work environment with a wide variety of assignments
• Significant freedom in how you organize your work and a degree of autonomy in decision-making
• Salary based on established pay scales and pre-determined pay Progression plans
• The opportunity to support fundamental and applied research related to a Major Big Science instrument in an international Environment

Additional information
Prof. Dr. Ir. christophe.collette(at)uliege.be

ET-CRISTAL: https://www.etest-emr.eu
Precision Mechatronics Laboratory: https://www.pml.uliege.be
Liège Space Center: https://www.csl.uliege.be/cms/c_10241774/en/csl?id=c_10241774
University of Liège: https://www.uliege.be/cms/c_8699436/en/uliege

Application modalities
Applications should include a complete curriculum vitae, a personal motivation letter, and the name of three references in a single PDF file which should be sent by email to Prof. Christophe Collette (christophe.collette(at)uliege.be ) by the 30th of May 2026.

Please find here full details.

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, India, invites applications for a postdoctoral (Research Associate–I) position in theoretical gravitational physics under an ANRF Advanced Research Grant. Application deadline: May 23, 2026.

The position is part of an active research program in black hole physics and strong-field gravity, aimed at exploring fundamental aspects of gravity in both classical and quantum regimes. The work broadly connects to questions involving black hole spacetimes, tests of general relativity and its extensions, quantum effects near horizons, and the nature of ultra-compact objects. There is particular interest in linking theoretical developments with observational signatures, including those relevant for black hole imaging, using a combination of analytical and semi-analytical techniques.

Candidates should have a Ph.D. in Physics with a strong background in general relativity, black hole physics, or closely related areas. Applicants are expected to demonstrate high-quality research output and the ability to carry out independent research.

Tenure: The appointment will be for an initial period of one year, extendable up to a total duration of 2.5 years, based on satisfactory performance.

Consolidated salary: Rs. 57,000 per month + HRA (as applicable) per month.

Application Procedure
Interested candidates should apply through the online portal (https://www.iiap.res.in/iia_jobs/) by submitting a Curriculum Vitae including a publication list, a research statement, and the names and contact details of at least two referees, along with any additional documents specified in the application.

Contact: Informal inquiries may be addressed to: Sanved Kolekar (sanved.kolekar[AT]iiap.res.in)

Please find here full details.

The Graduate School of Physics at Université Paris-Saclay, France, is launching the second call of its new postdoctoral fellowship program: UPSaclay-STAR-φ, supported by the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND. The program will recruit up to 41 international postdoctoral researchers over two calls, for 24-month projects in one of the 40 laboratories of the Graduate School, working on various fields from fundamental to applied physics. The CMS group of CEA-Saclay IRFU (contact: julie.malcles(at)cea.fr) is a possible host group, among others. The application deadline for the first call is July 15, 2026 at 5pm and the expected start of fellowships early 2027 (flexible).

Applicants will have to propose their own research project, with freedom of choice (in agreement with the thematics of interest of the CEA-Saclay/IRFU CMS team).

The CMS CEA-Saclay group has contributed to the design, construction and operation of the ECAL of CMS and is involved in the upgrades of the CMS detector (ECAL, MTD and HGCal).
The group is involved in the ECAL calibration and our analysis activities in Run3 include Higgs to Zy, double Higgs in the bb tautau channel, deep learning for ECAL and MTD reconstruction and various topics related to the diphoton channel (ttH/tH and its CP properties, high mass searches, interference to constraint the Higgs boson natural width with the mass measurement).

To be eligible, applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity in France for more than 12 months during the 3 years preceding the deadline for applications.

For further information, please visit: http://www.cofund-physics.universite-paris-saclay.fr/

The Relativistic Astrophysics group at the CTP PAS, led by prof. Agnieszka Janiuk, Center for Theoretical Physics PAS, Warsaw, Poland, would like to offer a 3-year full time postdoctoral position, within the project “Dynamics of processes around compact stars”. Application deadline: June 20th, 2026 - 12:00 CEST.

The primary responsibilities include scientific research related to the scope of the project. Additional duties will include consulting some of the tasks conducted by PhD students in our team. There are no teaching duties, as we are research institute of the PAS.

Required documents:

• The scientific CV, including the progress in the university studies, scientific achievements (publications, participation in research projects and conferences), with the clause “I agree to the processing of my personal data contained in the application documents for the purposes necessary for the implementation of the process recruitment by CTP PAS”.
• Cover letter.
• A copy of the PhD degree diploma.
• Copies of documents confirming scientific or professional achievements (for candidates without PhD at the time of application, a statement from their Supervisor is required, regarding prospective date of defence).
• At least two letters of recommendation from a faculty researcher with at least a PhD degree, concerning the candidate and his/her current scientific activity.
• Research plan related to the scope of the project.
• Signed Data Privacy Statement.

Please find here full details.

The Institute of Theoretical Physics at the Jagiellonian Univeristy in Kraków, Poland, invites applications for a postdoctoral position. The sucessfull candidate will be expected to conduct a research programme in theoretical physics. We offer stable employment based on an employment contract at the renowned university as well as cooperation with the interdisciplinary academic community represented by well-known scientists. Application deadline: May 17th, 2026, 23:59:59 Warsaw time.

The candidates should:

• hold at least a Master’s degree, Master of Science degree or an equivalent degree;
• exhibit aptitude for research work.

Duration of employment: 33 months starting from October 1, 2026

Required documents include:

• resume (CV),
• personal questionnaire filled in by the Candidate (F/M),
• copy of the master’s diploma or a doctoral diploma, if applicable,
• information on the Candidate’s (F/M) scientific, teaching and organisational achievements,
• declaration of the Candidate (F/M), confirming that the Jagiellonian University will be their primary place of work, should they be selected in the selection procedure,
• statement under Article 113 of the Law on Higher Education and Science,
• statement on acknowledging and accepting the rules and regulations concerning intellectual property management and commercialisation in force at the Jagiellonian University,
• motivation letter,
• list of publications (along with the respective publishing houses and the number of pages),
• information concerning educational activities carried out by the Candidate (F/M), if any,
• two recommendation letters concerning the Candidate’s (F/M) research work. The recommendation letters must be sent by e-mail directly by their authors to: ift(at)uj.edu.pl (in the e-mail subject please include: „Asystent IFT 2026: Name and surname”. At the Candidate’s request, the letters of recommendation may be made available to her/him.

Declaration forms (no. 5‒7) and personal questionnaire template (no. 2) can be obtained at: https://cso.uj.edu.pl/en_GB/dokumkandyd

For other details, such as benefits or remuneration, concerning the opening see:
https://praca.bip.uj.edu.pl/documents/145868730/160698977/1227.1101.104.2026_assistant_WFAiIS.pdf/0f0e0479-48b8-4539-a890-f0283d35cf90

Applications should be sent by email to: ift(at)uj.edu.pl
Subject: “Asystent IFT 2026: Name and Surname”

Application deadline: 2026/05/17 23:59:59 Warsaw time.

For further information please contact Institute of Theoretical Physics, e-mail address: ift(at)uj.edu.pl .

Please find here full details.