Postdoctoral position on Galactic Archaeology

Applications are invited for one postdoctoral position at the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center (NCAC), in Warsaw, Poland, to work on a study of chemical tagging employing machine learning methods.

The successful applicant will join a team led by Dr. Rodolfo Smiljanic working on the project “Playing CHESS with stars" funded by the Polish National Science Center (Sonata Bis 9). 

The overall project aims at developing a new and innovative system for the large scale analysis of stellar spectroscopic data. The "CHEmical Survey analysis System" (CHESS) will combine machine learning ideas with the traditional radiative transfer modelling of stellar spectra.

We seek a resourceful and creative researcher who can explore and propose new ideas for investigating the possibilities and limitations of chemical tagging using large datasets of detailed stellar chemical abundances. The post-doc will also collaborate with other team members on the development of the new chemical analysis system.

Applications are welcome from candidates with background in any aspect of observational, theoretical, or computational stellar or Galactic astrophysics. The ideal candidate has solid programming skills and previous experience on the application of machine learning methods to astrophysical data. Previous research experience on any of the following topics would be an asset: Galactic archaeology, chemical evolution of the Galaxy, chemical abundances in late-type stars, or stellar nucleosynthesis.

The position will be for 2 years. The starting date is to some extent negotiable but could be as early as December 2022.

Candidates are expected to have a valid PhD degree in astronomy/astrophysics obtained within 7 years from the date of starting the employment (career breaks such as for maternity/paternity leave can be taken into account).

The application should be sent by e-mail (as pdf files) to: [email protected] by October 21st, 2022.

To apply, please visit and follow the instructions on the Official annoucement page.