Postdoctoral Researcher in Star Formation / Machine Learning

Maynooth University is committed to a strategy in which the primary University goals of excellent research and scholarship and outstanding education are interlinked and equally valued. We are seeking applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher in Astrophysics/Computer Science. The successful applicant will join the star and planet formation research group led by Dr Emma Whelan. For more information on the work of the group please see https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/physics/our-research. This position is part of the CARINA project which is funded through a Research Ireland Frontiers of the Future grant. CARINA stands for Combining Machine Learning with Forefront Astronomical Instrumentation to Probe Intermediate Mass Star Formation. CARINA is focussed on developing case agnostic, multi-sector machine learning tools to efficiently handle datasets generated by integral field spectroscopy and time domain surveys. The testbed for the machine learning tools is the question of how planets form in the disks of Intermediate Mass Herbig Ae/Be stars. There are currently two PhD students working on this project. One with data from the MAUVE UV satellite launched in November 2025 and currently in its commissioning phase, and one with data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope MUSE instrument. The successful candidate will have the responsibility of developing, in collaboration with Dr Whelan and the PhD students, machine learning tools for the handling of the Mauve and MUSE datasets. They will also be expected to lead the research into innovative ways in which the machine learning tools can be valuable in other sectors. Further information on the principal duties and what we are looking for in a candidate can be found here - www.maynoothuniversity.ie/human-resources/vacancies