Postdoctoral Researcher (d/f/m)

The Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) was established in 2010 by the physicist SAP co-founder Klaus Tschira (1940-2015) and the Klaus Tschira Foundation as a private, non-profit research institute. HITS conducts basic research in the natural sciences, mathematics and computer science with a focus on the processing, structuring, and analyzing of large amounts of complex data and the development of computational methods and software. The research fields range from molecular biology to astrophysics.

The Astroinformatics (AIN) Group at HITS is looking for a

Postdoctoral Researcher (d/f/m)

to work on a collaborative multinational project aiming to use Exascale systems as a computational laboratory facilitating the understanding of observed physical phenomena and the discovery of new ones. Data analysis of the produced data via visualization or statistical machine learning is a vital component of the overall effort. The project is currently in the final phase of funding confirmation and will run for four years from January 2023 until December 2026.

Your role

The candidate will work on the post-processing of simulations to discover patterns and structures in the physical phenomena being investigated.
The applicant will be also in charge of the following tasks:

• Review and document the techniques currently used in the post-processing of simulation results.
• Collect partners' requirements with regard to the type of data produced, the insights they want to extract from simulations (e.g., search by similarity, outlier detection, explorative data access) and the technical challenges imposed by Exascale sized simulations.
• Implement new tools that revise the previous post-processing techniques and evaluate them.
• Investigate how post-processing can benefit downstream tasks, such as classification or regression, by indicating useful data features or the driving latent degrees of freedom.

What qualifies you for this job

Successful candidates should have a PhD degree (or be close to completion) in Astronomy, Physics or Computer Science with experience in scientific simulations and/or scientific software development. Working knowledge in unsupervised machine learning algorithms (i.e., dimensionality reduction) as well as astrophysics would be of advantage. High motivation and enthusiasm to work within an international team as well as strong interpersonal and communication skills are required.

The environment of this job

You will work in a highly interdisciplinary research group led by Dr. Kai Polsterer. You will be based at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, where you will find a first-class research environment and outstanding computational infrastructure and a generous research budget.

We offer:

• A fixed-term contract of up to 4 years, depending on conditions at the time of appointment
• An international and thriving work environment
• Extensive social benefits, such as:
  • Subsidized cafeteria meals
  • Job ticket/Job bike
  • Allowance for further training and career development
  • Company pension plan and additional health care benefits
  • 30 days of paid vacation
  • Family-friendly working environment

Learn more about Working at HITS.

Informal enquiries on the post may be addressed to Dr. Kai Polsterer

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The starting date is January 2023,

To apply, please submit here the following documents in a single PDF

• Cover letter, including your motivation
• Curriculum vitae
• Names and contact information for three references.
• Summary of research accomplishments

HITS gGmbH stands for equal opportunities and we strongly believe that our research benefits from inclusive and diverse teams.