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Queen's University Belfast

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Postdoctoral Research Associate in Astrophysics and Transient Astronomy (TRANSCEND) Queen's University Belfast in United Kingdom

Degree Level

Postdoc

Field of study

Computer Science

Funding

Full-time postdoctoral research associate position funded for 5 years from 1 April 2027. Competitive salary and benefits package mentioned; no stipend or tuition funding is described because this is a salaried research job.

Deadline

Nov 5, 2026

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Country

United Kingdom

University

Queen's University Belfast

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Keywords

Computer Science
Spectroscopy
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Cosmology
Galactic Dynamics
Big Data
Dark Energy
Supernova Remnants
Statistics
Physics

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About this position

Queen’s University Belfast is advertising a Postdoctoral Research Associate position within the Astrophysics Research Centre as part of the five-year STFC Large Award TRANSCEND. The project uses Vera Rubin/LSST transient data and the 4MOST Time-Domain Extragalactic Survey (TiDES) to study major questions in modern astrophysics, including how stars explode, how supermassive black holes grow, and the nature of dark energy.

The QUB post focuses on transient physical properties and the black hole mass function of tidal disruption events. The successful researcher will measure luminosities, nickel masses, and related parameters for large transient samples, build population demographics, and use live TDEs and host galaxies to derive scaling relations and occupation fractions for SMBHs.

This is a full-time, fixed-term postdoctoral role funded for 5 years from 1 April 2027. The advertisement is specifically for the Queen’s University Belfast post, while related TRANSCEND postdoc openings also exist at the University of Oxford, Lancaster University, and the University of Southampton.

Eligibility highlights: applicants should have a PhD in astrophysics or a closely related discipline (awarded or submitted by the start date), experience in live transient classification and follow-up, strong skills in analysing light curves and spectra, experience with very large datasets, expertise in tidal disruption events or related transient classes, and programming/software experience in astronomy.

How to apply: submit a full CV including publication list plus a two-page research statement in one file. Apply via the Queen’s University Belfast recruitment portal using the vacancy link. If applying for more than one TRANSCEND post, you must apply separately to each institution and state your order of preference in each application.

Deadline: 5 November 2026.

Benefits mentioned include a competitive salary, holiday entitlement, pension schemes, development opportunities, flexible working, and wellbeing support. International applicants are advised to check visa support guidance on the university website.

Funding details

Full-time postdoctoral research associate position funded for 5 years from 1 April 2027. Competitive salary and benefits package mentioned; no stipend or tuition funding is described because this is a salaried research job.

What's required

A PhD in astrophysics or a closely related discipline, either awarded or submitted by the time of taking up the post. Applicants should have research experience in live transient classification and follow-up, a track record in analysing light curves and spectra of transients, experience working with very large datasets, expertise in tidal disruption events and/or related transient classes, excellent communication and collaboration skills, and experience in programming and using standard astronomy software packages.

How to apply

Prepare a single file containing your full CV with publication list and a two-page research statement. Apply through the Queen's University Belfast recruitment portal using the vacancy link, and submit separately to each TRANSCEND post if applying for more than one institution.

More information can be found here

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