Research Fellow in Infrared Interferometry

Are you interested in extragalactic astronomy? Would you like to contribute to a leading international project with the goal to accurately measure supermassive black hole masses through cosmic time? Then this may be the right opportunity for you.

The Astronomy Group within the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton invites applications for a Research Fellow position in Infrared Interferometry to work as part of the SMBH FACTORY team. The SMBH FACTORY is a project selected through the ERC Advanced Grant 2023 round (funded by the UKRI Horizon Guarantee) running from 2025 to 2030. You will be working on GRAVITY+, the most sensitive infrared interferometry instrument, and exploit its angular resolution power to spatially resolve AGN board line regions at cosmic noon and beyond. Your tasks will be to lead data reduction, analysis and modelling of GRAVITY+ data and contribute to the development of the data reduction software.

The Southampton Astronomy Group provides a stimulating and collegial environment with many opportunities to collaborate with other group members. Our main research themes are galaxy evolution, compact objects, and time-domain astrophysics. We are strongly committed to diversity in the student and academic population and you will be supported in developing your career while maintaining a healthy work-life balance through family-friendly policies. This position will provide you with time and resources to explore and develop independent research.

The post is initially for 3 years, but can be extended depending on performance and funding. The appointment will be full time on University of Southampton Level 4. In addition, the University offers an attractive benefits package and relocation assistance. The starting date is flexible in 2026.

Please apply through the university's job portal with a cover letter, CV, publication and a statement of research interests (2 pages max). In your application, please highlight how your experience and research interest are relevant or transferrable to GRAVITY+, active galactic nuclei and analysis of interferometric data.

Informal enquiries are welcome via email to Prof Sebastian Hoenig, s.hoenig@soton.ac.uk.

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.