MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity in Stellar Physics

European Commission; España; Presencial; EUR 71.000 - 100.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

The Institute of Cosmos Sciences at the University of Barcelona is looking for outstanding postdoctoral researchers in the field of astrophysics to apply for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship. Candidates will engage in cutting-edge research on star formation and stellar environments, benefiting from expert mentoring and a supportive research environment.

Servicios

Competitive salary with allowances

Mentoring and career development support

Access to computing resources

Formación

• PhD or equivalent required by the application deadline.
• A maximum of 8 years full-time research experience post-PhD.
• Strong background in stellar physics, observational and theoretical perspectives.

Responsabilidades

• Conduct independent research within the Stellar Physics group.
• Collaborate on projects that explore stellar evolution and environments.
• Participate in the application process for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Conocimientos

Observational astronomy

Theoretical astrophysics

Data analysis

Computational modeling

Research proposal writing

Educación

PhD in Astronomy or Astrophysics

Descripción del empleo

Institute of Cosmos Sciences of University of Barcelona

Organisation/Company Institute of Cosmos Sciences of University of Barcelona Department Physics Research Field Astronomy » Astrophysics Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Country Spain Application Deadline 20 Aug 2025 - 23:59 (Africa/Abidjan) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The Stellar Physics group at the ICCUB welcomes expressions of interest from outstanding postdoctoral researchers to jointly apply for the 2025 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF-2025) through the European Commission. The group offers expert mentoring and comprehensive guidance throughout the application process to help candidates develop competitive proposals.

The research developed at the Stellar Physics group covers different stages of star formation, stellar evolution all the way from dust to life, and the study of stellar environments and their planetary systems. We aim to develop a multi-scale, multi-disciplinary approach to answer these three main questions:

2 - How do stars evolve in isolation; in multiple systems and as a population?

3 - How does atmospheric activity (e.g., stellar winds, flares, coronal mass ejections), including the Sun, impact their environment and how does this affect the habitability of exoplanets?

To this end, the research activity of our group focuses on the following topics:

• Star formation with a multiwavelength approach, covering from radio to high energy spectral range.
• Evolution of stellar binary stars with time-domain astrophysical datasets (transients, variable and eclipsing systems, etc.), spectroscopic characterization, and stellar evolution models.
• Analysis and modeling of solar particle events as well as the development of solar particle radiation interplanetary environment prediction models.
• Understanding the impact of stellar activity (flares) over planetary atmospheres and habitability.
• Stellar astrophysical parameter estimation and stellar characterization from astrometry, photometry, and spectroscopy.
• Understanding different stellar populations within the Milky Way with large astrophysical datasets (Gaia, future GaiaNIR, the spectroscopic WEAVE survey…).
• New instrumentation for astrophysics for Montsec Observatory.

The members of the group have leading and collaboration roles in major collaborations in the field of stellar physics, such as Gaia Data Analysis and Processing Consortium, Euclid, BlackGEM time-domain survey, Transient and Variable Science collaboration within the Vera Rubin Observatory (LSST), SKA and “The VLA Orion A Large Survey” collaboration, Solar Orbiter and PLATO missions, and the UV-optical CubeSat mission PhotSat, entirely led by the Institute of Space Sciences of Catalonia (IEEC). In addition, the group has ongoing collaborations with European and international research institutions (Caltech, Radboud University, KU Leuven, Universidad Nacional de Mexico, among others), which can enhance the internationalization of our member’s research.

The group can offer support for computing time in the Institute of Cosmos Sciences cluster. The fellow will have the opportunity to develop a career development plan and be part of a mentorship program.

How to Apply

To express your interest and submit your application, please send the following documents to [e-mail] :

• A cover letter outlining your research interests and motivation
  
• Your CV (including a list of publications)
• A brief research proposal (1–2 pages)
• Contact information for two referees
  

Please include “MSCA-PF-2025 Application – Stellar Physics Group” in the subject line of your email.

Where to apply

E-mail [e-mail]

Requirements

Research Field Astronomy » Astrophysics Education Level PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

We are excited to support candidates with expertise related to the main research areas carried in our group, both from observational and theoretical perspectives. In particular, we are interested in exploring projects that can exploit the synergies between the major research lines in stellar physics, and also with other research groups at the ICCUB, such as the high energies group, the gravitational waves group, the galaxy structure and evolution, and the technological unit.

Researchers can be of any nationality and must:

• Be in possession of PhD at the call deadline.
• A maximum of 8 years full-time research experience after the date of award of the doctoral degree.
• Not have resided or carried out their main activity in the country of the recruiting beneficiary (Spain) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.
• Researchers who are refugees in an EU MS or HEU AC according to the Geneva Convention may also apply to both Fellowships, irrespective of whether they are long-term residents or not.
• GPF researchers must be nationals or long-term residents of EU MS or HEU AC.

Applicants who apply and choose our institute asHost Institutionfor a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (European or Global) proposal can benefit from dedicated support, which specifically consists of:

• On-demand support with dedicated staff

The salary conditions of a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow are very competitive in relation to the average cost of living in Barcelona . It provides the following yearly funding:

• Monthly living allowance: 5.990€ per month (to be adjusted using the corresponding country coefficient).
• Mobility allowance: 710€ per month.
• Family allowance: 660€ per month.

Additional Information

Additional comments

The Institute of Cosmos Sciences (ICCUB) at the University of Barcelona, Unit of Excellence Maria de Maeztu, established in 2006, focuses on cosmology, astrophysics, particle physics, quantum physics, and nuclear physics. With over 70 scientists, 20 engineers, and 90 postdoctoral researchers and PhD students (35% international), ICCUB collaborates internationally on projects like Gaia, LHCb, Virgo, MAGIC, CTA, and DESI. It also has an Advanced Technology Unit supporting experimental research requiring cutting-edge technology.

From 2019 to 2023, ICCUB published 1,463 articles, averaging 8.86 citations per paper (compared to UB’s 2.45). Despite being only 2.9% of UB’s staff, ICCUB secured 8 ERC grants (16% of UB’s total) over the last 10 years and twice received the Maria de Maeztu seal of excellence. Executed funding from 2020 to 2023 includes €21.3 million in competitive, €2.2 million in non-competitive, and €1.6 million from private sources.

ICCUB is very active in organizing events, such as international workshops, seminars and colloquia, 438 between 2019-23, and courses on transferable skills. Additionally, ICCUB engages in graduate training, technology transfer (including a spin-off company, DAPCOM, patents, and €170,000 from collaborations with CERN, INFT, CIEMAT, and private companies), and scientific outreach. More details and educational materials are available on their websites, Serviastro and Serviparticulas.

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona Country Spain City Barcelona Geofield