Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Physics

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Archive Date: 
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Post-doctoral Positions and Fellowships
Institution Classification/Type: 
Large Academic
Institution/Company: 
The University of Hong Kong
Department Name: 
Department of Physics
City: 
Pokfulam
State/Province: 
HKG
Country: 
Hong Kong
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Physics (Ref.: 498329)

Applications are invited for appointment as Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Physics (Ref.: 498329), to commence as soon as possible and no later than March 2020 for 2 years, with the possibility of renewal subject to funding availability.

Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in Astrophysics or a related discipline, with experience in machine learning and Python coding.  They should have strong motivation for using J-PAS for independent research, and possess strong collaborative research and communication skills.  Those with experience in deriving photometric redshifts and research background in galaxies or cosmology would have an advantage.

The appointee will work with Dr. Jeremy Lim at the University of Hong Kong, Professor George Smoot (2006 Physics Nobel Laureate) at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, along with collaborators worldwide in an ambitious programme to definitively measure the neutrino mass (thus confirming our preliminary report in https://arxiv.org/pdf/1711.05210.pdf).  This project requires assembling a large and exacting catalog of galaxy clusters from the Javalambre Physics of the Accelerating Universe Astrophysical Survey (J-PAS; http://www.j-pas.org/).  J-PAS is a unique sky survey in 56 narrowband filters continuously spanning the near-UV to near-IR, and will provide low-resolution spectra along with sub-arcsecond images (i.e. equivalent to IFU measurements).  The survey will be conducted with a dedicated 2.5-m telescope at the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (OAJ), located at an altitude of 1957-m in the Sierra de Javalambre, by the Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA; http://www.cefca.es).   CEFCA is a research institution of the Government of Aragón that was created in 2008 to define and construct the OAJ, as well as to carry out and promote its scientific exploitation.  The main scientific topics of CEFCA focus on Cosmology and Galaxy Evolution through its leadership of the J-PLUS and J-PAS programmes.  The appointee will spend half time to determine spectro-photometric redshifts of galaxies from J-PAS using machine learning techniques, and the other half to conduct independent research focused on J-PAS data.  Ample opportunities would be given to supervise both postgraduate and undergraduate students as part of the project or independent research.   Applicants are strongly encouraged to direct questions about the duration of the post and time to be spent at CEFCA to Dr. Jeremy Lim at [email protected].

A highly competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience will be offered, in addition to annual leave and medical benefits.  At current rates, salaries tax does not exceed 15% of gross income.

The University only accepts online application for the above post.  Applicants should apply online at the University’s careers site (http://jobs.hku.hk) and upload an up-to-date C.V. (including publication list, preferably describing contributions to any non-lead-author publications), a cover letter (including direct responses to the selection criteria) not exceeding two pages and a research statement (describing prior research achievements, and future research interests including exploitation of J-PAS data) not exceeding two pages.  Shortlisted applicants will be contacted for letters of recommendations from 3 referees.  Closes October 1, 2019.

The University is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to equality, ethics, inclusivity, diversity and transparency

Application Deadline: 
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Selection Deadline: 
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Dr. Jeremy Lim
Country: 
Hong Kong