Research Fellow

University of Southampton - Astronomy Group

Full Time Fixed Term for 12 months

This is an exciting opportunity to join a team of researchers in the Astronomy Group at the University of Southampton, working towards delivering new science with the state-of-the-art Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space Time (LSST) and the Time Domain Extragalactic Survey (TiDES) running on the 4MOST spectroscopic experiment. LSST will be the largest and most comprehensive ground-based optical survey ever undertaken, delivering millions of astrophysics transients, while TiDES provides 250,000 fibre hours of dedicated transient and host galaxy spectroscopy. Together, these projects open up a vast new discovery space in the study of supernovae and transients, and their application in cosmological settings.

You will work within a research team led by Prof. Mark Sullivan but interact widely with the rest of the Astronomy Group and the LSST (DESC, TVS) and 4MOST/TiDES international collaborations. As part of this work, funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council and working as part of the LSST:UK consortium, you will help develop the infrastructure of the TiDES experiment, its interface with transient alert streams, and have the opportunity to collaborate in exciting cutting-edge science designing the massive spectroscopic follow-up of optical transients, exploiting supernova cosmology experiments.

We welcome applications from researchers from a range of backgrounds consistent with the science goals of TiDES. To be successful you will have a PhD in Astronomy, Astrophysics or a closely related field. Experience with supernova surveys/observations and their interpretation, or a knowledge of supernova astrophysics or cosmology, will be considered an asset.

In return we offer you a welcoming and inclusive research environment and encourage those from under-represented groups in Physics and Astronomy to apply. We are strongly committed to diversity in both the academic and student population, and in recognition we renewed our Athena SWAN Silver award in 2023 and were awarded the Institute of Physics Project Juno Champion status in 2019. Physics and Astronomy gives full consideration to applicants that wish to work flexibly, including part-time, and due consideration will be given to applicants who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy**, and onsite childcare facilities.

For further information please visit https://www.phys.soton.ac.uk/EqualityandDiversity

Please supply a CV and details of two referees by the application deadline, and optionally a brief research statement outlining your previous research experience.

This position is initially available from 15th January 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter, with funding in place for 12 months and a likely extension in funding to 24 months.

Informal enquiries about the position are very welcome and can be directed to:

Prof. Mark Sullivan (E-mail: m.sullivan@soton.ac.uk).

**subject to qualifying criteria

Further details:

As a university we aim to create an environment where everyone can thrive and are proactive in fostering a culture of inclusion, respect and equality of opportunity. We believe that we can only truly meet our objectives if we are reflective of society, so we are passionate about creating a working environment in which you are free to bring your whole self to work. With a generous holiday allowance as well as additional university closure days we are committed to supporting our staff and students and open to a flexible working approach.

Apply by 11.59 pm GMT on the closing date.

For assistance contact Recruitment on +44(0)2380 592750 or recruitment@soton.ac.uk quoting the job number.