Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Gravitational Wave Discovery - Electromagnetic Detection

The Position

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with expertise in gravitational wave electromagnetic follow up observations.  The Research Fellow will work with Associate Professor Jeff Cooke at the Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) headquartered at Swinburne University of Technology, along with OzGrav members at other OzGrav Australian node universities and international partner universities.  Information about OzGrav can be found here: https://www.ozgrav.org

The Research Fellow will help with the coordination, detection, and study of electromagnetic follow-up observations of gravitational wave events by OzGrav-partnered programs and facilities located worldwide, and is encouraged to collaborate on joint OzGrav projects and to conduct their own independent research. 

A number of the OzGrav follow-up facilities are also involved in the Deeper, Wider, Faster (DWF) program, a Swinburne-led program involving over 60 radio through gamma-ray observatories and particle detectors worldwide and in space to detect and characterize fast transients (millisecond-to-hours duration) in real time.  If interested, the Fellow is welcome to contribute to DWF and explore related opportunities, including advanced data visualisation, including virtual and augmented reality analysis, and data sonification tools.  Finally, the Fellow is welcome to become involved in several instrumentation projects underway aimed at progressing transient astronomy and gravitational wave electromagnetic follow-up.

Skills and Experience

To be successful in this role you will require a PhD in observational astrophysics with research interests and experience in time domain astronomy.  Demonstrable research skills in transient astronomy are essential, as evidenced by publications and/or technical skills through community code development.

Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing

The Centre, located in Melbourne, ranks among the best in the world and is one of Australia’s largest astronomy research institutes, hosting over 20 faculty, 20 post-doctoral researchers, 50 PhD students and many visiting international researchers.  Swinburne is one of the few universities in the world with guaranteed access to the W.M. Keck Observatory telescopes in Hawaii and our astronomers have access to ESO and Australian telescopes, and regularly obtain time on HST, VLT, Magellan, AAT, ATCA, Parkes, ASKAP and many other major facilities.  Swinburne hosts the headquarters of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave discovery (OzGrav) and the next generation Australian Supercomputer for Theoretical Astrophysics (OzSTAR), with petaflops performance and state-of-the-art 2D and 3D visualisation facilities. 

Living in Melbourne

Melbourne is top ranked for its quality of life and as a destination for working abroad (ranked #1 or #2 in the world since 2010).  Melbourne is a cosmopolitan city with a mild climate and plenty of sunshine, with ocean, mountains, and wildlife nearby.  The city offers a diverse range or nightlife, restaurants, entertainment, festivals, and culture, while featuring numerous parks, open spaces and excellent public transportation. 

How to Apply: See the full position description here and follow the instructions to apply online.  Applications must include a cover letter, CV with publications and skills listed, and a 2-page research plan that describes the research you would like to pursue as part of the OzGrav team.  Three letters of reference are to be submitted independently by the referees to Jeff Cooke at [email protected] by the deadline.