Postdoctoral Fellow - Stellar Halo Simulations

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Alabama invites applications for a postdoctoral research position. The successful candidate will collaborate with Dr. Jeremy Bailin on computational research involving stellar halos of galaxies. In particular, the postdoc will be responsible for using the CoSANG (Coupled Semi-Analytic/N-body Galaxies) stellar halo simulation code to continue generating a suite of stellar halo simulations, updating the code as necessary to implement additional physics, and analyzing the resulting simulated halos with the goal of determining the connection between observable properties of halos and the formation histories of their galaxies. The postdoc will also have the opportunity to jointly supervise graduate and undergraduate students on the project, and to attend national and international conferences.

Applicants should have a PhD in astronomy, astrophysics, or a closely related field by the start of the appointment. Applicants should have previous experience with astrophysical simulations, and in the study of galaxy formation and evolution. Experience with observations of resolved stellar populations, and/or directly comparing simulations and observations, will be considered assets.

The department consists of 31 faculty members in the areas of astronomy and astrophysics, high energy and particle physics, particle astrophysics, condensed matter physics, precision timing, and machine learning. The postdoc will become part of an active and friendly astronomy group at the University of Alabama. In addition to NASA High End Computing time that is allocated to this project, the postdoc will be able to use the University of Alabama’s current two high performance computing facilities, and a new multi-million dollar facility that is expected to come online during the postdoc’s tenure. Members of the department also have a share in the SARA consortium, which operates three 1m-class telescopes at Kitt Peak, Cerro Tololo, and the Canary Islands.

The initial term of appointment will be for 2 years, with a potential extension of a third year upon mutual agreement and availability of funding.

Review of applications will begin November 18, 2024, and continue until the position is filled. The position could begin as early as January 2025, and no later than September 2025. Applications must be submitted to the University of Alabama job site at https://careers.ua.edu/jobs/postdoctoral-fellow-stellar-halo-simulations-524981-tuscaloosa-alabama-united-states and should include a cover letter, CV, and research statement; please also have three references send letters directly to [email protected] with the subject line "Postdoc Reference". All inquiries should be addressed to Jeremy Bailin, [email protected].