Contact: ncornish[AT]montana.eduLocation: Bozeman, USA
The eXtreme Gravity Institute (www.montana.edu/xgi/) at the Department of Physics of Montana State University invites applications for a 3-year postdoctoral position in gravitational wave astronomy (starting in 2019).
The eXtreme Gravity Institute (XGI) is composed of faculty members Neil Cornish, Nicolas Yunes, Anne Lohfink, Amy Reines, David Nidever, Bennett Link, and Sachiko Tsuruta. The gravity group at XGI is lead by Cornish and Yunes, and is currently made up of two postdocs and a large number of graduate and undergraduate students (approx. 20). The XGI hosts international workshops and summer schools on topics related to extreme gravity. The institute is also deeply involved in public outreach, formal and informal education.
Research at the XGI covers the full specturm of gravitational wave astronomy, with topics ranging from astrophysical and waveform modeling to science data analysis. The XGI is part of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC), the LISA Consortium, and the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav).
The XGI is located in Bozeman, Montana, a dynamic mountain town that is a mecca for outdoor sports enthusiast with world class skiing, climbing, hiking and mountain biking just minutes from main street.
The successful candidate will work closely with faculty member Neil Cornish to develop a comprehensive science analysis approach for the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). No previous experience in LISA science is required. Opportunities will also exists to work on LIGO and NANOGrav related projects.
The ideal candidate will be well versed in both gravitational wave science and Bayesian inference, but expertise in just one of these fields is sufficient – training will be provided to fill any gaps. Experience in developing computational algorithms will be considered paticulaly valuable. The successful candidate will demonstrate research experience and creativity, high productivity and proficiency in written and oral communication. A Ph.D in physics, astronomy, or a related discipline is required by the start of employment.
Interested candidates will submit an application at https://jobs.montana.edu/postings/14565, which must include a resume/CV, a research statement, and contact information for three references. After submission of an application, our system will contact all references to request confidential letters of recommendation. The deadline for submission of an application is January 15th 2019. For more information, please refer to the job link or email Prof. Neil Cornish (ncornish[AT]montana.edu).