|
European Astronomical Society
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EAS Job Directory
Find Jobs
| 2+1 year postdoctoral position on detection of strongly-lensed supernovae in Rubin/LSST data in Marseille, France | Closing date: 2026-03-31
Contact: Stéphane Blondin |
The Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate position focused on the search of lensed supernovae with Rubin/LSST. The successful candidate will join the international French-German project "SuperEarly: Constraining Supernova Progenitors through Strong Lensing in the Rubin LSST Era".
- Starting date: September 2026
- Duration: 2 years initially + possible 1 year extension (fully funded)
- Salary range (depending on experience): 3130-4340 EUR / month (gross) + employee benefits
- Application deadline: 31st March 2026 | | ▸ more | *** Project background and description ***
A strongly lensed SN offers a unique opportunity to access the first hours/days of its evolution, providing key information on the progenitor and explosion mechanism. The Vera Rubin Observatory is expected to discover more than 100 lensed SNe of all types during its ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Our three-year project SuperEarly will allow us to obtain the earliest rest-frame UV observations of SNe ever made. Our complementary expertise in deep-learning classification, lens and SN modelling, combined with our access to LSST data and follow-up facilities, will yield unprecedented constraints on the progenitors of all types of SNe shortly after they explode.
The main task will be to lead the development of advanced deep-learning methods to discover the rare gravitationally lensed supernovae in Rubin/LSST data. This work will be done with the support from the machine learning division of the LAM data centre. The candidate will also contribute to the observational follow-up of confirmed lensed SNe, and to the comparison with synthetic spectra and light curves of SNe at early phases. The resulting catalog of static gravitational lenses, and the candidate and confirmed lensed SNe will be key for the overall project on constraining SN progenitors and will have a value for the overall community.
Our proposed project builds upon the results from the HOLISMOKES program (http://www.holismokes.org/) that was funded by the European Research Council until May 2024. The PI of that program, Sherry Suyu (TUM/MPA, Germany), is also part of the project team. At LAM, in addition to the project co-PI J.-C. Bouret, the postdoc will also work closely with postdoc Raoul Cañameras (expert on deep-learning algorithms to search for lensed supernovae) and a PhD student to be recruited for this project. There will be regular collaboration visits (twice per year) to our German collaborators on the Garching campus near Munich, Germany. There would also be a possibility for more extended visits (up to 1 year, TBD) at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) on the same campus, where the co-PI S. Blondin is also located. The postdoc will benefit from full data access rights to the Rubin/LSST project.
Keywords: Supernovae ? Gravitational lensing ? Radiative transfer ? Deep learning ? Transient surveys
*** Work Environment ***
The Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM, https://www.lam.fr) is a multidisciplinary research institute jointly funded by CNRS (the French National Research Center), CNES (the French Space Agency), and Aix-Marseille University (amU). At LAM, the successful candidate will join the GECO (Galaxies, Stars, and Cosmology) team, which comprises approximately 60 members, about half of whom are PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. A significant fraction of the team comes from outside France. Within GECO, a rapidly growing Transients subgroup brings together researchers working on gamma-ray bursts (GRBs; progenitors and host galaxies), fast radio bursts (FRBs), black holes, and related topics.
*** Requirements ***
Applicants should:
- Hold a PhD in Astronomy or Astrophysics by June 2026
- Have experience in Machine Learning and Deep Learning techniques
- Possess computing skills and/or observational experience
Experience with Supernovae, GRBs and other peculiar transients will be particularly valued. Teaching experience, student supervision are considered assets but are not required. Knowledge of French is not required as the working language at LAM is English (although free French classes are provided for those interested).
*** Application details ***
Applications should include:
- CV + cover letter
- Publication list
- Two-page research statement
Applications should be sent in PDF format to jean-claude.bouret @ lam.fr and stephane.blondin @ eso.org by 31st March 2026. Interviews of shortlisted candidates will take place shortly thereafter.
Two letters of recommendation should also be sent to the same email addresses by the application deadline.
*** Diversity Statement ***
SuperEarly and LAM are committed to diversity and equal opportunity, and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic background. We strongly encourage all qualified candidates to apply and to consider joining our team.
|
More resources
Links to other job lists
|
