Post-doctoral fellow in galactic chemical evolution of the local group - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Subject description

The position is placed at the Department of Geology to work with Dr Diane Feuillet studying the chemical evolution of stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby dwarf galaxies. The project involves the development of galactic chemical evolution models and interpretation of stellar spectroscopic data. There is the possibility of spectral analysis if the candidate is interested. The primary aim of the project is to levarage elemental abundance patterns measured in the Milky Way and nearby dwarf galaxies to understand the mass assembly history of the Milky Way.

Work duties
The main duties involved in this postdoctoral posistion are to conduct research within the scope of the project. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The position shall include the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning.

The employee will work with VICE galactic chemical evolution models (https://pypi.org/project/vice/). Training to use VICE will be available to the candidate, therefore prior familiarity with the specific code is not necessary.

The employee can join the 4MOST survey and, via collaborations, work on WEAVE and SDSS-V data. The employee may join one of the 4MOST infrastructure working groups (max 20% of the time).

The employee is expected to promote the research results via publication of scientific papers, give talks at international conferences and via visiting other research institutes and give seminars. This will mean some travel. There is a budget available for this but the employee is also expected to apply for travel funds from external bodies, such as learned societies and research councils.

The employee is expected to contribute to the group’s daily scientific life and participate in meetings and similar with collaborators in Lund and elsewhere where we share our research results and have scientific discussions.

Work duties will include:

• Developing an understanding of galactic chemical evolution models to interpret galaxy evolution
• Developing models of galactic chemical evolution using VICE to understand the assembly history of the Milky Way
• Interpreting large stellar datasets to understand the assembly history of the Milky Way
• Actively seeking external research funding
• Collaboration and participation within the research group

Qualification requirements
Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed by the start of employment and no more than three years before the date of employment decision. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• Received a PhD with a focus on the study of the Milky Way, its stars and galaxy formation,
• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
• Specialization in observations or theory of galactic evolution or stellar nucleosynthesis.
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Assessment criteria and other qualifications
This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers.

Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

Additional assessment criteria. The following skills are meritorious:

• Experience in interpretation of Milky Way or dwarf galaxy stellar populations in the context of galactic evolution
• Familiarity with chemical evolution models
• Experience with stellar spectral analysis
• Knowledge of Python programming
• Experience working within large surveys
• Experience working with data from large surveys
• Good knowledge of statistical methods and their application within the research field

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research at Lund University.

Terms of employment
This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of three years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S and OFR/S, dated 1st February 2022.

Instructions on how to apply
Applications shall be written in English and be compiled into a PDF-file containing:

• Cover letter with motivation
• Résumé/CV, including a full list of publications,
• General description of past research and future research interests (no more than three pages),
• Contact information of at least two references,
• Copy of the doctoral degree certificate, and other certificates/grades that you wish to be considered. If a PhD degree has not yet been obtained, include documents supporting that a PhD degree will be obtained by the start of the employment.