Postdoctoral Position in Computational Astrophysics - Planet Formation

A 1+1 year postdoctoral position is available at ETH Zurich within the group of Prof. Judit Szulagyi. The position is in computer simulations of planet formation, funded through an ERC Starting grant (Planet- and Moon-Factory; PI: J. Szulagyi). The desired starting date is as soon as possible, but the latest of Feb 1st 2024.

The project is attacking the questions of planet formation and will use mainly hydrodynamical simulations to measure how planetary accretion rates are depending on the characteristic of the local disk environment. The candidate will be expected to code in C and Python and add new modules to our existing code, including self-gravity.

In our research group, we are using various computational methods (hydrodynamical simulations, population synthesis, N-body simulations, radiative transfer etc.) to study processes that take place in various astrophysical disks. Our group is also associated with the ETH AI Center and the Computational Science Zurich Institute. 

The candidate will be responsible to carry out the research project and expected to participate in the group's activities, including teaching and supervision of students. Furthermore, they will carry out 3D radiative hydrodynamical simulations with dust+gas with an existing code on supercomputers, and further develop that code to add additional relevant physics. The salary will be in accordance with the regulations of ETH Zurich with an increase every year.

Necessities:

• PhD by the starting date of the position in quantitative sciences/engineering (e.g., astrophysics, physics, computer science, computational science or a related field), and the PhD degree should not be older than 5 years.
• Proven record of programming skills and code development

Nice to have:

• Experience in astrophysical research, especially regarding disk physics
• Experience with computational fluid dynamics simulations with/without radiative transfer, with/without self-gravity
• Experience in teaching/supervising students

We look forward to receiving your online application on the link below in one pdf file (title: your name) by June 30, 2023, including:

• CV (incl. GitHub identifier if exist)
• Publication list
• Motivation letter: max. 2 pages; incl. the possible starting date
• Contact details of 3 recommendation letter writers
• Experience/plans with enhancing inclusivity in the academic community
• Statement of Previous Research: max. 3 pages; incl. experience & relevant skills

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. For scientific inquiries please contact Prof. Judit Szulagyi ([email protected]), for any other questions please contact her administrative assistant, Ms Milena Ramirez ([email protected]).