Postdoctoral Research position in Observational Cosmology at IFAE

IFAE; Cerdanyola del Vallés; On-site; EUR 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

IFAE invites applications for an Open Position Postdoctoral Researcher in Observational Cosmology. The successful candidate will join the Cosmology group and work on developing and validating new data-analysis methodologies for galaxy surveys, aiming to apply them to the LSST DR1 data expected in 2028.

Applicants should have a PhD in Physics or a related field and proven experience in cosmological data analysis, scientific programming, and HPC environments.

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics or related discipline is required.
• Experience with data analysis of cosmological surveys is essential.
• Proficiency in scientific programming and experience with High Performance Computing facilities is expected.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate new methodologies for galaxy surveys data analysis.
• Apply methods to LSST DR1 data and contribute to DESC collaboration meetings.
• Travel internationally for research stays, conferences and collaboration activities.

Skills

Data analysis

Scientific programming

High Performance Computing

Education

PhD in Physics or related discipline

Job description

Open Position Postdoctoral Research position in Observational Cosmology at IFAE

Opening Date: October 9, 2026 Closing Date: December 13, 2026 Ref: IFAE2026/43_COSMOLOGY_Postdoc

About IFAE

The Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE) is a public consortium of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB, a public university) whose main objective is to carry out research and to contribute to the development of high energy physics from a theoretical, experimental and technological point of view. IFAE has the status of a "University Institute" attached to the UAB and its premises are within the campus of the University.

About The Observational Cosmology Group

The IFAE Cosmology group is presently formed by 5 faculty, 8 post‑docs and 8 students and is a full member of some of the leading cosmological surveys of the time: the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), the Euclid Consortium, and the Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC) of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) at the Vera Rubin Observatory. The group plays leading roles in the analysis of all the surveys it participates.

Job profile and tasks

The successful candidate will join the Observational Cosmology group at IFAE, and will become a member of the LSST DESC collaboration. The main goal will be to develop and validate new methodologies to go beyond the state-of-the-art in data analysis of galaxy surveys, and apply them to the first data release of LSST (DR1), expected in 2028. The candidate is expected to do international travel and stays for research purposes in addition to collaboration meetings and conferences.

The successful candidate will be expected to have a PhD in Physics or a related discipline, experience in data analysis of cosmological surveys and in scientific programming, including experience working with High Performance Computing facilities.

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation criteria and their weighting for the submitted applications will be the following:

Evaluation criteria Points Research experience 40 Leadership and communication skills 20 Programming and computing skills 20 Research vision and motivation 20

Offered contract

• Indefinite contract ACT Actividades Cientifico-Tecnicas linked to the project financing.
• Duration: 2 years + possibility of a 1-year extension, subject to funding.
• The position will correspond to Postdoctoral Researcher within the professional categories of the IFAE.
• Full‑time contract (40h/week).
• Salary will be proportional to experience and qualifications within the corresponding category range.
• The selected candidate is expected to join IFAE in September 2027.
• Opportunity to gain experience learning first‑hand. Personal growth, innovation, and learning every day. Work with interesting experimental science. Travelling to scientific singular infrastructures.

Application and Selection process

Applications should be submitted to [e-mail] and [e-mail] stating the job reference IFAE2026/43_COSMOLOGY_Postdoc as the subject of the message. The mail should include an up‑to‑date CV, a letter of interest and arrange for two letters of reference sent to the above e‑mail addresses.

You may contact Dr. Andreu Font Ribera ([e-mail]) for any questions related to this job opening.

Sending CVs to the above addresses implies consent to the IFAE’s legal warning on data privacy.

The application must contain a personal identification number (DNI, NIE or passport) in order to proceed to the verification of absence of conflict of interest required by Recovery and Resilience Mechanism of the Spanish Government.

IFAE is committed to equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion. With the aim of promoting a real gender balance in the institution, women will be especially encouraged to submit their candidacy in the calls. Likewise, IFAE reaffirms its commitment to the integration of people with disabilities and underrepresented groups in the scientific field and in accordance with article 59 of the EBEP to reserve seven percent of places so that at least two percent of the total staff are people with disabilities.

A Selection Committee will evaluate the received applications. If more than one candidate seems equally suitable for the position, the Selection Committee will arrange an online interview with each one of them as part of the selection process. In compliance with article 121 of the Spanish Public Sector Legal Regime Act, staff with pre‑existing relationship with the Consortium administration (Generalitat de Catalunya and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) will have priority in the awarding of the position.

Funding Statement

This position is part of the project PID2024-159420NB-C41.

The position may also be funded by additional sources: CEX2024-001441-S funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033