231/2026 - A research support contract in gravitational wave physics for IAC3.

Universitat de les Illes Balears; España; On-site; EUR 34,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The Institute of Applied Computing and Community Code (IAC3) at Universitat de les Illes Balears seeks research staff to advance computational gravitational wave physics. The role focuses on challenging data analysis, detector characterisation, and high-performance computing applied to gravitational waves.

You will contribute to cutting-edge projects and interact with international collaborations, with access to a dedicated HPC cluster and strong research support from UI Balears.

Qualifications

• Solid problem-solving abilities and analytical thinking.
• Ability to work independently with effective time management, while collaborating in a team-oriented research environment.
• Interest in cutting-edge gravitational wave research.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to computational research in gravitational wave physics.
• Work on detector characterisation and search pipelines for continuous and transient signals.
• Collaborate with international groups (LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, LISA, Einstein Telescope).

Skills

Problem solving

Analytical thinking

Independent work

Time management

Team collaboration

Tools

HPC cluster

Job description

Organisation/Company Universitat de les Illes Balears Research Field Astronomy » Astrophysics Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 11 Nov 2026 - 23:55 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37,5 Offer Starting Date 11 Jan 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number 2026-27_3_231 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The Institute of Applied Computing and Community Code (IAC3, http://iac3.uib.es ) is seeking to hire research staff to contribute to computational research activities in the area of gravitational wave physics.
The position offers candidates the opportunity to directly participate in top-flight international projects such as the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, Einstein Telescope and LISA Consortium, as well as strengthen our involvement in analysing the most recent data from the fourth LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observation run.
The selected candidate will work on detector characterisation and a wide range of gravitational wave analysis methods, from detector data processing to running offline search pipelines, with a particular focus on searches for continuous gravitational waves, as well as transient signals.
About IAC3 and the gravitational physics group: IAC3 is an interdisciplinary research centre home to over 60 researchers from six consolidated research groups within the departments of physics, mathematics and computer science at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB).
Research in the gravitational physics group at the UIB spans a wide range of topics, including gravitational wave data analysis, waveform modelling and numerical relativity simulations. The group has access to its own high-performance computing cluster, as well as to external resources such as the MareNostrum supercomputer and the LIGO Data Grid.

The group is led by Alicia Sintes and Sascha Husa, and also comprises David Keitel, Xisco Jiménez-Forteza, Antoni Ramos, Pep Covas, Ornella Piccini, Cecilio Garcia-Quirós and Jaume Carot, as well as several postdoctoral researchers and PhD students. Moreover, it is an active member of leading international
collaborations.
For further details, see http://grg.uib.es .

PI: Francisco Jiménez Forteza
Funding body: 7055
Institution: Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) / University of the Balearic Islands (UIB)

• Solid problem-solving abilities and analytical thinking
• The ability to work independently and effective time management skills, whilst also collaborating in a team-oriented research environment
• Curiosity, creativity and a desire to contribute to cutting-edge research in gravitational wave physics.

Language requirements: Particular consideration will be given to candidates with a solid command of spoken and written English
for technical communication and scientific writing.

Experience required: 1-4 years

Experience requirements: Particular consideration will be given to candidates with research experience in black hole physics, perturbation theory and gravitational waves, as well as membership in one of the international collaborations in the field (LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, LISA, Einstein Telescope).

National Social Security Insurance (Public Health Insurance)

Planned end date of the tasks subject to the contract: Friday, April 30, 2027

Eligibility criteria

• Qualifications in the specialised area (max. 20 points)
• Accomplishments in the field (max. 40 points), such as research, innovation and knowledge transfer, teaching, professional accreditations, supplementary training, awards, etc.
• Video CV and, where applicable, a personal interview (max. 20 points)
• Experience in the field (max. 15 points), e.g.: > 3 years (10 points), < 3 years (5 points)
• Other merits (max. 5 points), e.g. qualifications not linked to the specialised area, letters of reference, etc.

Eligibility threshold: 60 points.
Candidates who hold the qualification corresponding to the required category in the job offer with a non-EU degree, if selected, must present a certificate of equivalence of their non-EU qualification to a European qualification, or proof of having applied for this equivalence, in order to proceed with their hiring. The equivalence can be requested from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (see https://www.universidades.gob.es/equivalencia-de-titulo-extranjero-de-e… ).

Selection process

In accordance with article 8 of the REGULATORY AGREEMENT 145140 of 15th June 2022 that approves the regulation governing the recruitment of research staff under chapter 6 allocation of the university budget, as well as technical or operational research staff.
Selection comitee
i. The relevant Pro-Vice-Chancellor for research (or delegated representative) as chair. ii. The supervisor (or delegated representative). iii. The members of the Research Area Assessment Committee (CARAI). iv. One or more expert members in the topic pertaining to the recruitment and chosen by the chair of the committee, where applicable. v. The head of FORHU (or delegated representative), as secretary, who may speak but not vote.

Additional comments