SISSA, Physics Area

Position ID:
SISSA-Physics Area-POSTDOC [#29152]
Position Title: 
Call of interest for ERC-funded positions on gravitational-wave theory, source modeling, and science interpretation at SISSA (Trieste, Italy)
Position Type:
Postdoctoral
Position Location:
Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia 34136, Italy
Subject Area: 
Astrophysics / Gravitational Waves
Appl Deadline:
2024/12/20 11:59PMhelp popup (posted 2024/11/05, listed until 2025/05/05)
Position Description:
   

The gravitational-wave physics group at SISSA (Trieste, Italy) invites expressions of interest for several postdoctoral research positions in gravitational-wave theory, source modeling, science interpretation and data analysis, to start in the fall of 2025. The positions will be for two years, with possible extension conditional on satisfactory performance.

Successful candidates will join the GWSKy project, which an ERC Synergy Grant has recently funded. We are particularly interested in hiring creative and highly motivated candidates who can work collaboratively and independently in a vibrant, welcoming, and synergistic group. The ERC-funded project called “Making sense of the unexpected in the gravitational-wave sky (GWSky)” is led by PIs Enrico Barausse (SISSA, Trieste, Italy), Zvi Bern (University of California, Los Angeles, US), Alessandra Buonanno (Albert Einstein Institute, Potsdam) and Maarten van de Meent (Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark). Given the synergistic aspect of the GWSky project, we anticipate that for a few postdoctoral scholars, there will be the opportunity to spend two years at SISSA and the subsequent two years in another node.

The aim of the GWSky project is to use gravitational-wave measurements by existing and future observatories on the Earth and in space as precision laboratories for fundamental physics, cosmology, and astrophysics. This includes the current LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detectors, as well as the future ground-based observatories Cosmic Explorer and Einstein Telescope, and the space-based detector LISA. By leveraging the PIs and their team’s expertise, the GWSky project aims to develop a groundbreaking framework capable of solving the highly nonlinear equations of Einstein’s General theory of Relativity, creating waveform models with unprecedented accuracy, and translating these results into practical tools for interpreting the data.

As a consequence, at SISSA we are looking at candidates in the following research areas: numerical-relativity simulations in General Relativity and alternative theories of gravity; environmental effects for binary systems; tests of General Relativity; gravitational-wave data analysis and machine learning; waveform modeling.

Applications should consist of a cover letter, a CV, a publication list, a research statement and three reference letters, and should be received by December 20th to receive full consideration.

The four nodes of GWSky will have positions in a variety of subdisciplines that feed into precision theoretical studies of gravitational waves. Those interested in potential positions at other nodes may follow the links:

1. Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Potsdam, Germany: www.aei.mpg.de/1194154/postdoc-phd-gwsky-2025

2. UCLA: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/29157

3. Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/29202

Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
  • Cover letter
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Research statement
  • Publication list
  • Three reference letters (to be submitted online by the reference writers on this site help popup)
And anything else requested in the position description.

Further Info:
https://www.sissa.it/physics
 
SISSA
via Bonomea, 265
34136 Trieste
ITALY