3-year postdoc in gravitational lensing
Inspire
Montpellier
Job description:
The Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier (LUPM), France, welcomes applications for a (2+1)-year postdoctoral position in gravitational lensing and cosmology. The position is funded by the French national research agency (ANR) through the ELROND project coordinated by Pierre Fleury.
ELROND is the acronym for Einstein Lensing Rings to Observe the Non-baryonic matter Distribution. The ultimate goal of this project is to use strong-lensing Einstein rings as a cosmological probe. Preliminary studies indicate that the weak-lensing shear, due to cosmological perturbations near the light of sight of a strong lens, should be measurable. This offers the exciting opportunity to directly and accurately measure the weak-lensing shear without relying on the statistics of the shape of a large sample of galaxies. The purpose of ELROND is to confirm the measurability of the line-of-sight shear on realistic strong lenses, assess the cosmological potential of such a measurement with JWST or Euclid, and explore higher-order observables such as the weak-lensing flexion.
In this context, experience in the modeling and analysis of strong-lensing imaging data would be particularly appreciated, but every candidate with experience in either weak lensing or strong lensing will be considered.
The position would ideally start in September 2024.
Environment
The successful candidate will join a young and dynamic group revolving around ELROND, consisting of two permanent researchers (Pierre Fleury and Julien Larena), one post-doctoral researcher (Natalie Hogg) and two PhD candidates (Théo Duboscq and Daniel Johnson).
This group is part of the larger PArticle, Cosmology, Theory (PACT) team of LUPM, with interests ranging from cosmic tensions to the small-scale properties of dark matter.
Montpellier is a blossoming medium-size French city located near the Mediterranean coast, characterised by a young population and a high quality of life. It is well connected at both national and international levels thanks to two high-speed train stations and an airport.
The University of Montpellier and CNRS are equal-opportunity institutions. Applications from under-represented groups in science are particularly encouraged.
Salary and budget
The monthly net salary is 2358.71€ (3325.88€) for candidates with less (more) than 2 years of experience. The successful candidate will furthermore dispose of yearly travel budget of 4000€.
Application process
The candidates must send their application before 23:59 CEST on December 17th, 2024. The application will consist of a CV and an up-to-4-page research statement, to be sent by e-mail at [email protected] with subject line:
[Application ELROND postdoc] Name Surname
They should also arrange for up to 3 reference letters to be sent at the same address with the same subject line.
A short list will be established based on this information, and zoom interviews will be conducted with the assistance of other members of the team.
Provisional time line
December 17th, 2023: Application deadline
January 12th, 2024: Communication of the short list to the candidates
January 15th—February 2nd 2024: Remote interviews
February 9th: First offer
February 15th, 2024: Deadline acceptance, following the high-energy postdoc deadline accord and the AAS policy.