Time-domain astrophysics with the Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (Postdoc)

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Key information

Publication date:27 May 2025
Workload:100%
Place of work:Lausanne
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Job summary

Join EPFL for a postdoc in time-domain astrophysics! Be part of a vibrant research community.

Tasks

Define technical requirements for the Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope project.
Collaborate with scientists to develop metrics for the WST science drivers.
Mentor students and contribute to international astronomical observations.

Skills

PhD in astrophysics or related field; English proficiency required.
Experience with optical spectroscopy and astronomical surveys.
Strong analytical skills and ability to synthesize complex data.

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Time-domain astrophysics with the Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (Postdoc)

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, EPFL

Workplace Lausanne, Lake Geneva region, Switzerland Category

Astronomy & Space

Position

Senior Scientist / Postdoc

Published 26 May 2025 Closing Date 15 June 2025

EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. The EPFL employs more than 6,500 people supporting the three main missions of the institutions: education, research and innovation. The EPFL campus offers an exceptional working environment at the heart of a community of more than 18,500 people, including over 14,000 students and 4,000 researchers from more than 120 different countries.

Time-domain astrophysics with the Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (Postdoc)

Your Mission

The successful applicant will contribute to defining the top-level technical requirements imposed by the time-domain science case for the Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST, www.wstelescope.com')). Specifically, the selected person will analyze instrument requirements specified for diverse science questions in collaboration with the WST time domain science working group and develop figures-of-merit and other quantitative metrics that will aid to select the science drivers and their implications on the facility’s requirements. This work will be performed in close collaboration with Richard Anderson at EPFL, leader of the WST time-domain working group.

WST is a major instrumentation project with the potential to shape European ground-based astronomy in the 2040s. As described in the white paper (Mainieri et al. 2024, arXiv: 2403.05398 ), WST will be a dedicated optical spectroscopic survey facility featuring a 12m primary mirror, a 3x3 arcmin^2 integral field spectrograph, and wide-field (3.1 deg^2) high- (R~40’000) and low-resolution (R~3-4’000) spectrographs fed by 2’000 and 30’000 optical fibers, respectively. The WST consortium has received funding from the European Union and the Swiss Government to develop a detailed design concept, which the WST consortium will submit to the Expanding Horizons initiative of the European Southern Observatory in the hopes of making WST the next large ESO project.

We need you to make this happen!

Main duties and responsibilities

Contributing to the definition of the time-domain science case for WST

Reviewing science cases submitted to the WST time-domain working group and understanding their requirements affecting WST’s instrumentation and/or operational model

Liaising with the community concerning technical requirements formulated

Establishing source / event catalogs for time-domain science cases

Developing figures-of-merit to quantify expected science returns according to specifications of the instruments and/or operational model

Liaising with the WST survey design and other science working groups

Organizing and contributing to remote and in-person meetings

Additional areas of activity may include analysis of spectroscopic observations of pulsating stars, for example in the context of 4MOST or the VELOCE project (Anderson et al. 2024; arXiv: 2404.12280 ).

The successful applicant shall contribute to a collaborative and inclusive team atmosphere. This includes being available for (graduate & undergraduate) student (co-)supervision and mentoring as well as remote or on-site observations in Chile and/or the Canary Islands.

Profile

PhD i n astrophysics or related field by the time the appointment begins

Full working proficiency of the English language is required, some knowledge of French would be helpful for the day-to-day life but is not required

Ability to travel internationally and to legally work in Switzerland.

Strong candidates will show evidence of scientific independence, assume ownership of the projects they work on, and communicate effectively within diverse international teams.

An analytical mind that can synthesize complex subject matters even outside your own immediate research field

Strong mathematical foundation; experience with figures of merit and selection functions is highly desirable

Experience:
- in optical spectroscopy, especially with integral field and/or fiber-fed multi-object spectrographs (please specify any technical/instrumentation expertise)
- in the analysis and interpretation of spectroscopic time-series data
- with large astronomical surveys
- with astronomical alerts systems (e.g., for Vera C. Rubin) and/or time-domain and/or multi-messenger astrophysics

About EPFL

The successful applicant will become an integral member of the Standard Candles and Distances research group (https://www.epfl.ch/labs/scd/members/')) and of the Laboratory of Astrophysics (LASTRO). The team is based at Sauverny Observatory near Versoix, Switzerland, where EPFL and the University of Geneva share an inspiring world-class astrophysics research environment covering a wide range of subjects. For information on research at EPFL and in Sauverny, visit https://www.epfl.ch/labs/scd/') , https://www.epfl.ch/labs/lastro/') , https://www.epfl.ch/labs/galspec/') , and https://www.unige.ch/sciences/astro/en/') .

EPFL is a founding member of the WST consortium. Swiss scientists have access to ESO (e.g. VLT, ALMA, E-ELT) and ESA (e.g. HST, JWST, XMM-Newton, Euclid) facilities as well as the future SKAO. EPFL further enjoys preferred access to the 1.2m Swiss Euler telescope at La Silla observatory, Chile, as well as access to the Flemish 1.2m Mercator telescope on La Palma. EPFL is a full member of SDSS-V, DESI, and 4MOST, part of the MOONS and of the future BlueMUSE and MOSAIC consortia, and founding member of the MUST project. EPFL is recognized as one of the best Universities in Europe and covers both engineering and fundamental sciences.

EPFL is located in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. However, it is fully feasible to get by in English thanks to a large international community that includes CERN and the United Nations, in addition to many corporate headquarters. Applicants desiring to follow professional development courses at EPFL, or to learn French, will be encouraged to do so.

We offer

The position includes a competitive salary (depending on experience) and benefits according to the Swiss social security system (mandatory medical insurance, employer-provided accident insurance, retirement benefits, etc). The contract will be awarded on an annual basis. Funds for computer equipment, science travel, observations, publication charges, etc. are available. The ideal starting date would be in late Summer 2025.

Informations

Only applications submitted through the online platform are considered.

The following documents should be submitted as merged PDFs by 15 June 2025:

motivation letter

curriculum vitae, incl. names and addresses of three academic references (see more below)

a publication list with the three publications most relevant to this position highlighted. A link to a private ADS library would be appreciated.

research statement (3 pages max) that showcases any relevant technical expertise

in case PhD has not yet been awarded: confirmation of anticipated PhD completion date (incl. official letter head and signature)

The three references should submit their confidential letters of support by e-mail to estrella.briant@ epfl.ch by the application deadline (15 June 2025) stating "WST-TD postdoc" and the name of the applicant in the subject line.

Review of applications will begin immediately. Late applications will be considered until the position is filled.

For any further information, please contact: richard.anderson@ epfl.ch

Contract Start Date : 01.08.2025

Activity Rate : 100.00

Contract Type: CDD

Duration: Initially 1 year with possibility of extension

Reference: 1590

Personnel Scientifique (FR), Personnel Scientifique, Internal only