Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Physics in North East

Two posts are available. One is funded by the European Research Council (ERC), to start in October 2026, for a period of 3 years. The other is funded by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), to start in June 2026, for a period of 3 years. Successful candidates will join thriving research teams within the Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) at Durham. The ICC is a leading group in computational cosmology research, having previously played key roles in the development of simulation techniques for dark matter, dark energy and galaxy formation, and in the establishment of the Lambda cold dark matter (LCDM) model, and has continued to be at the forefront of cosmology research.

We are particularly interested in candidates with research interests in the following areas:

• ERC post: Cosmological tests of dark energy and modified gravity (contact: Baojiu Li)
• UKRI post: The use of cosmological simulations in the analysis of large-scale structure and galaxy redshift surveys, topics in the galaxy-halo connection, and field-level inference (contact: Sownak Bose)

Benefits of these roles include:

• Opportunity to undertake high quality research with connection to impact;
• Working closely with people with extensive experience in theoretical, computational and observational cosmology in the wider astronomy group where collaborations are actively encouraged;
• Opportunity to develop leadership skills, teaching experiences, and personal networks;
• Time for career development, training and development of independent research ideas.

The post holder will be expected to display the initiative and creativity, together with the appropriate skills and knowledge required, to lead and develop the research activities to meet the project goals. The post holder will be expected to be familiar with theoretical and computational cosmology, with first-hand experiences in the above-mentioned areas. The post holder is expected to be able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team. It is expected that, where appropriate, the post holder will enhance the international contacts of the group through the presentation of work at international workshops and conferences. The post holder is further expected to aid in the supervision of postgraduate students within the group, as well as contributing to the undergraduate teaching within the Department.

Key responsibilities:

• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences.
• To engage with the ICC and the wider astronomy group, and attend group activities where appropriate.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.
• To be involved in student supervision, as appropriate, and assist with the assessment of the knowledge of students.
• To contribute to fostering a collegial working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.
• To communicate and collaborate with the industrial collaborators.

Successful applicants will ideally be in post by the respective starting date for each post as mentioned above. This post is fixed term for three years which is set by the funding available.