Postgraduate Studentship in Stellar Cartography

The University of Bath invites applications from outstanding candidates for a funded 3.5-year postgraduate studentship in stellar cartography within the Bath Astrophysics Group, in the Department of Physics. The Bath Astrophysics Group combines state-of-the-art observational and theoretical astrophysics with advanced instrumentation and software development for multi-messenger astronomy in the era of time-domain science in the wider context of stellar and galactic evolution and cosmology.

The successful applicant will work with Dr Vicky Scowcroft to use observations from facilities such as the Spitzer Space telescope and Gaia to investigate the structure and evolution of our nearest neighbours using variable stars. The student will produce high-resolution maps of the galaxies in their three spatial dimensions, comparing their structural and chemical properties with numerical simulations. The student will combine data from multiple surveys and different wavelengths to study different properties of the galaxies to search for age and population effects in the different variables. The project is particularly timely given the launch of JWST in 2018. The student will have the opportunity to work on some of the first observations from JWST, studying Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars in more distant galaxies using this revolutionary new facility.

Applicants should have a background in the physical sciences and have or
expect to gain a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent from an
overseas University.