The University Observatory in the Faculty of Physics of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich announces the opportunity for one or multiple Postdoctoral Fellowships in observational, theoretical or computational astrophysics. With this year’s call we are particularly looking for applicants in the broad areas of observational or computational cosmology, structure formation, or galaxy evolution. Scientists with a PhD degree in physics, astrophysics, or related fields, who are seeking an opportunity to develop an independent and innovative research program in these areas, are encouraged to apply.
Successful applicants will be paired with a primary and a secondary mentor to support their research program and their development as a scientist. The position includes opportunities for mentoring student researchers from the university's bachelor and master programs in physics and astrophysics, and may include teaching opportunities as well.
We aim for the fellowship to commence by October 2022, with an initial appointment of 2+2 years for recent graduates and 3+2 years for experienced researchers. Different arrangements may be negotiated between successful applicants and their mentors. This year, the following mentors are available:
- Prof. Ralf Bender, research group Extragalactic Astrophysics & Instrumentation
- Prof. Til Birnstiel, research group Protoplanetary Disks & Planet Formation
- Prof. Andreas Burkert, research group Computational Astrophysics
- Dr. Klaus Dolag, research group Computational Astrophysics
- Prof. Daniel Gruen, research group Astrophysics, Cosmology & Artificial Intelligence
- Prof. Kevin Heng, research group Exoplanets and Exoclimes
- Prof. Joseph Mohr, research group Cosmology and Structure Formation
- Dr. Stella Seitz, research group Gravitational Lensing
- Prof. Jochen Weller, research group Physical Cosmology
The University Observatory of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität is part of Munich’s vibrant and growing astrophysics research community that includes the European Southern Observatory headquarters, the Max Planck Institutes for Astrophysics, for Physics, for Extraterrestrial Physics, and for Plasma Physics, and the DFG Origins Excellence Cluster ORIGINS. Researchers at LMU have access to observing programs including the Dark Energy Survey, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time, Euclid, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Experiment, 4MOST and other future ESO projects, the South Pole Telescope, eROSITA, MeerKAT, CMB-S4 and the department’s 2m-Telescope in the Bavarian alps. Besides these, fellows will have access to the Computational Center for Particle and Astrophysics of the ORIGINS cluster and the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre of the Bavarian Academy of Science and Humanities.
This Fellowship program is intended to provide aspiring researchers at the postdoctoral level with support by multiple mentors that will help them develop a research program connecting to and complementing research interests at the University Observatory. For observationally oriented fellows, it is named after Joseph von Fraunhofer, who performed the first ever spectroscopic observations with an astronomical observatory at Munich. For theoretically oriented fellows, it is named after Karl Schwarzschild, who was a graduate student and senior postdoc at LMU while first raising the hypothesis that the geometry of the Universe could be non-Euclidean.
Salary and benefits are paid according to the German public service pay agreement TV-L E13. The advancement of women in science is an integral part of the university‘s policy. Therefore, women are especially encouraged to apply. Persons with disabilities will be given preference to other applicants with equal qualifications. German language skills are not required.
Applicants should prepare a cover letter and the following documents: CV, publication list, and a 3-page statement of research interests and plans. Further, applicants are asked to arrange three letters of recommendation. All documents should be submitted through https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/fellowship/19855 by November 7, 2021, for full consideration. Please enter the names of two or more potential mentors in your cover letter. Applications may also be considered for other job opportunities at the University Observatory Munich.
