Academic ConnectRef Number
B04-06059
Professional Expertise
Research and Research Support
Department
UCL BEAMS (B04)
Location
Dorking
Working Pattern
Full time
Salary
£43,374 £51,860
Contract Type
Fixed-term
Working Type
Hybrid
Available for Secondment
No
Closing Date
30-Apr-2025
About us
The Department is located on its own campus in the beautiful Surrey Hills, surrounded by woodland, and is the UK's largest university space research group. Space science is a discipline that demands highly innovative technologies and the Department has an international reputation for excellence in this area. UCL was one of the first universities in the world to become involved in making scientific observations in space. Since 1966, the Department has participated in over 40 satellite missions with the European Space Agency, NASA (US), Japan, Russia, China and India, and flown over 230 rocket experiments. At the Department, you will join a diverse team focused on the detection and characterisation of transiting exoplanets, led by Dr. Vincent Van Eylen. The research project will be further co-directed by Dr. James Owen (Imperial) and Dr. Paola Pinilla (MSSL/UCL).
The Department is family friendly and applications would be welcome from applicants seeking part-time opportunities. The Department has been awarded the Institute of Physics Juno Practitioner. The aim of Project Juno is to recognise and reward physics departments, schools, institutes and organisations that can demonstrate they have taken action to address gender equality in physics and to encourage better practice for all staff.
About the role
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Research Fellow to join the Department of Space and Climate Physics (Mullard Space Science Laboratory), University College London (UCL).
The post will be for three years to work in the research group led by Dr. Vincent Van Eylen, Associate Professor in Exoplanets.
The post is funded under the Grant award from the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The funding is awarded to pursue “Understanding the evolution of Neptune-like planets over billions of years”. The successful candidate will address major open questions relating to how exoplanet properties are linked to stellar ages. They will investigate how the properties of planetary systems are related to their age, as the evolution of the galaxy shapes the formation of planetary systems, and as planetary systems evolve over time. This research will make use of state-of-the-art Bayesian techniques to derive reliable ages combining stellar observations from high-resolution spectroscopic observations and Gaia measurements, as well as potentially asteroseismology. Large data sets from the ongoing NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the upcoming ESA Planetary Transits and Oscillations (PLATO) missions are expected to drive this research. A key goal of this project is the determination of accurate and precise stellar ages for a large sample of small extrasolar Earth and Neptune planets, and pairing this stellar characterisation with a detailed study of planet properties, in particular planet occurrence. A key deliverable of this research will be to show for the first time whether Neptunes exhibit significant evolution over main sequence time scales, as Neptunes may turn into Earths due to ongoing atmospheric loss over billion-year timescales, see their sizes change as their atmospheres evolve and shrink, or even have different properties depending on when they form due to galactic chemical evolution. This research will have profound implications for our understanding of small close-in planets, which make up most of all known exoplanets.
About you
The post holder will focus on quantifying the population of Neptune-like planets as a function of their host star characteristics. This includes detecting Neptune-like planets using TESS observations and quantifying their occurrence rate, as well as precisely determining stellar properties including stellar ages. Furthermore, the successful applicant is expected to contribute towards preparing for the upcoming PLATO mission. In addition, the candidate is expected to develop and pursue independent research ideas and interact with a wide variety of exoplanet researchers at the Department and the University.
Applicants must have (or be about to receive) a PhD degree in astronomy, physics, astrophysics, mathematics, computer science, or a closely related discipline. The ideal candidate will be experienced in one or more of the following areas: exoplanet characterisation, stellar characterisation, exoplanet detection, time series photometry, planet occurrence rate determination, asteroseismology, space photometry related to TESS or PLATO, Bayesian statistics, machine learning, computational methods
Candidates should submit: 1) an application form, 2) a research statement (max. 3 pages), 3) a CV including the names of three references (max. 2 pages), and 4) a list of publications. The research statement should summarise your main research achievements to date and highlight your research interests and fit for the position. Informal inquiries can be directed to Dr. Vincent Van Eylen (v.vaneylen@ucl.ac.uk).
What we offer
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits some of which are below:
- 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
- Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
- Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
- On-site outdoor swimming pool
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
- Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
- Discounted medical insurance Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.
The Department is family friendly and applications would be welcome from applicants seeking flexible working hours.
The Department has been awarded the Institute of Physics Juno Practitioner. The aim of Project Juno is to recognise and reward physics departments, schools, institutes and organisations that can demonstrate they have taken action to address gender equality in physics and to encourage better practice for all staff.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/
Available documents
Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.
