Research Assistant/Associate in Supernovae and Astrostatistics/Data Science

Fixed-term: The funds for these posts are available to 30 September 2026 in the first instance.

The Institute of Astronomy (IoA), Cambridge University expects to appoint one or more postdoctoral researchers to work with Dr Kaisey Mandel on projects at the intersection of supernova cosmology, transient astronomy, astrostatistics and machine learning. Dr Mandel's interdisciplinary research group spans the Institute of Astronomy, Kavli Institute for Cosmology, and the Statistical Laboratory of the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics. Appointments to the StatsLab (DPMMS) are possible. Negotiable starting dates from ASAP through Autumn 2022.

Experience in statistical modelling/computation, machine learning, supernova observations/data analysis, and/or transient surveys is desirable. The successful applicants will have opportunities to work with novel datasets from the Young Supernova Experiment, UKIRT, and HST, and prepare for upcoming surveys with 4MOST and LSST.

The successful applicants will be expected to pursue independent and collaborative research, develop a high degree of interaction with the faculty, postdoctoral researchers and research students, and actively contribute to the life of the department. They will disseminate their research findings via publications or other appropriate media, such as international workshops and conferences. They will be encouraged to participate in the teaching and learning programmes of the department as well as in the supervision of postgraduate research students and outreach events.

Applicants must have a PhD in Astronomy, Statistics, or a related field, or have satisfied the requirements for the PhD, by the time of appointment. Applicants must possess a scientific publication record and a clear outline of current and future research areas of interest. Applicants must have excellent communication and computing skills and are expected to produce scientific articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Successful candidates who have not been awarded their PhD will be under appointed at Grade 5, (Research Assistant - £27,116 to £31,406 per annum) and upon award, promoted to Grade 7, (Research Associate - £33,309 to £40,927 per annum).

The University of Cambridge thrives on the diversity of its staff and students. The Institute particularly welcomes applications from women and/or candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented. We have an active Equality and Diversity Committee which continually works to further the aims of the Athena SWAN charter. The University has a number of family-friendly policies and initiatives, including a returning-carer scheme, childcare costs support, university workplace nurseries, university holiday play- schemes, and a shared parental-leave policy. As part of its commitment to providing a family-friendly environment for researchers, the IoA ensures that should parental leave be needed during the course of employment, there is provision for extension to contract to compensate for the parental leave taken.

Click the link given below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please submit your application by 23:59 GMT of the closing date of Tuesday 21st December 2021. If you have any queries about your application please contact Ms Joy McSharry (hr(at)ast.cam.ac.uk). Informal enquires may be addressed to Dr Kaisey Mandel (kmandel(at)ast.cam.ac.uk.

Please quote reference LG29010 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK