Postdoctoral Research Associate in Transient Astrophysics

Lancaster University's School of Physics and Astronomy, together with the University of Oxford, the University of Southampton, and Queen's University Belfast, is seeking to appoint one Postdoctoral Research Associate in Transient Astrophysics at each institution as part of the five-year STFC Large Award "TRANSCEND".

TRANSCEND is a collaboration between Lancaster University, Universities of Oxford and Southampton, and Queen's University Belfast that will use Vera Rubin/LSST transient data and the 4MOST Time-Domain Extragalactic Survey (TiDES) to address pressing questions in modern astrophysics: how stars explode and drive chemical enrichment, how supermassive black holes grow, and the true nature of dark energy.

The Lancaster University post will lead the following area:

Simulations and selection effects for SN Ia cosmology and beyond: lead the forward-modelling of the combined LSST+TiDES sample, and characterise its associated sample selection effects. This project will include building galaxy population catalogues validated against state-of-the-art cosmological simulations (e.g. IllustrisTNG). This simulation effort will be the foundation underpinning every rate, host-galaxy and cosmological result in TRANSCEND.

For reference, the other TRANSCEND posts at partner institutions cover:
- SNe Ia cosmology groundwork or rare transient follow-up and characterisation (University of Oxford)
- Host galaxies of transients (University of Southampton)
- Transient physical properties and the black hole mass function of tidal disruption events (Queen's University Belfast)

While each position will be associated with a TRANSCEND deliverable, all postdocs will have opportunities to follow up interesting transients and be encouraged to pursue projects that maximise the science from TiDES. Once appointed, all four researchers will be expected to work closely, through regular collaboration visits, to maximise the overall scientific outcomes of TRANSCEND.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for more than one post (separate applications required to each university) and should state their order of preference (topic and institution) in their application.

Qualifications and Requirements:
- A PhD (or near completion) in astrophysics, physics, cosmology or a related field
- Strong scientific programming skills (Python)
- Research experience in time-domain astrophysics, supernovae, galaxy evolution, cosmology or survey science
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills

Application Requirements: CV, publication list, and a 2-page research statement describing past research experience and its relevance to the TRANSCEND science goals. If applying to more than one post, state your order of preference in the research statement.

All posts are full-time, funded for 5 years from 1st April 2027. Shortlisting and interviews will be carried out via a cross-institutional panel.