Two postdoctoral positions in stellar and Galactic astronomy

The Institute

The ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) is the leading research school in Australia in the field of astronomy and astrophysics.

Our staff and students have made major contributions to astronomy, mapping the structure and formation of the Milky Way, discovering planets orbiting other stars, measuring dark matter both within our Galaxy and in the wider Universe, and discovering the accelerating expansion of the Universe. Our astronomers include winners of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science and the Nobel Prize.

The vibrant and diverse astronomical research community at RSAA has access to a broad array of facilities, including optical telescopes operated by ANU at Siding Spring Observatory (AAT 4m, ANU 2.3m, SkyMapper 1.3m) and observing time on the SONG and LCO global networks of telescopes. RSAA leads the GALAH and SkyMapper surveys. ANU is a partner in the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) project and has a leading role in developing the MAVIS instrument to be installed on the ESO Very Large Telescope UT4. RSAA host the Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre which is a national facility established to support the development of the next generation of instruments for astronomy and space science. We have access to excellent computational facilities through the National Computational Infrastructure supercomputers, as well as in-house computer clusters. Australia has access rights to the LSST survey and is a strategic partner of ESO, an arrangement that provides access to all ESO telescopes at Paranal and La Silla.

With a population of nearly half million people, Canberra is regularly ranked among the most liveable and safest cities in the world. Surrounded by parks and natural attractions, Canberra offers a broad range of recreational and cultural options. To see what the Science at ANU community is like, we invite you to follow us on social media at Instagram and Facebook.

The Positions

We invite applications for two research-focused postdoctoral positions to work in the area of stellar and Galactic astronomy with Associate Professor Luca Casagrande. Candidates with experience in any of the following areas are encouraged to apply: stellar structure and evolution, stellar model atmospheres and spectroscopy, stellar population synthesis, Milky Way and Local Group chemical evolution, photometry of resolved and integrated stellar populations, Galactic archaeology. Interest in developing tools to study resolved stellar populations in nearby galaxies with the next generation of high angular resolution instruments would be highly regarded. The Postdoctoral Fellows will have significant opportunity for independent research. 

ANU Values diversity and inclusion and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to those of all backgrounds and identities. People with a disability are encouraged to apply.

Application information

Please use this link to upload the following documents (deadline Dec 16):

• A cover letter
• A curriculum vitae 
• A research statement describing past research achievements and future plans (2-4 pages)
• Name and contact details of 2-3 referees
• Applicants are welcome to include a description of achievements relative to opportunity if they have experienced periods of academic interruption or other significant events (1 page max)

When asked to upload a statement against the selection criteria please use the cover letter instead.