PhD position in radio transient astronomy

LPC2E/CNRS; France; Sur place; EUR 30 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A prominent research institution in France is seeking a PhD candidate in Astronomy to explore Long Period Transients. The position involves optimizing algorithms and analyzing data from advanced telescopes. Candidates are expected to have an undergraduate or master's degree in a related field and demonstrate a solid command of English. This full-time role will enhance your research experience and provide essential skills in radio astronomical signal processing. Application deadline is January 31, 2026.

Prestations

Access to advanced telescopes

Collaboration with international institutes

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Strong command of the English language.
• Full-time commitment to research.
• Previous research experience is beneficial.

Responsabilités

• Optimize and fine-tune signal processing algorithms.
• Process time series data and model observational data.
• Utilize Machine Learning algorithms to enhance research.

Connaissances

Research experience

Programming

Machine Learning

Data analysis

Formation

Undergraduate or master's degree in Astronomy or closely related field

Description du poste

Organisation/Company LPC2E/CNRS Department ASTRO Research Field Astronomy » Astrophysics Computer science » Programming Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country France Application Deadline 31 Jan 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris) Type of Contract Other Type of Contract Extra Information 3-year PhD contract Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Recent advancements in technology have enabled astronomers to digitize the radio sky down to a fraction of a second. This unprecedented time resolution provides sensitivity to transient phenomena to which we would have otherwise been blind. A great example is Long Period Transients (LPTs) — an emerging and novel class of coherent radio sources that challenge our understanding of neutron star emission physics. Unlike canonical pulsars, which exhibit rotational periods of milliseconds to a few seconds, LPTs show periodic emission on timescales of tens of seconds to minutes and even hours. The discovery of LPTs is entirely unexpected; it has long been thought that as neutron stars spin down and gradually lose rotational energy, pair production and coherent radio emission should cease beyond the so-called “pulsar death line”.

The existence of such long-period emitters raises fundamental questions about how coherent emission is generated in magnetospheres when the available potential drop would be insufficient to sustain pair cascades. To date, only about a dozen LPTs have been uncovered, although the extreme intermittent nature of many of them suggests that many more such objects are yet to be detected. Understanding LPTs is critical for advancing models of neutron star magnetospheres, testing the limits of particle acceleration and plasma generation, and potentially uncovering evolutionary links between pulsars, magnetars, and other transient radio phenomena such as Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). In short, studying LPTs provides a unique opportunity to probe both the physics of coherent emission and the late-time evolution of neutron stars. It also provides the opportunity to study white dwarf binary systems, since at least some of the LPTs appear to be interacting ‘polar’ systems in which a magnetic bridge forms between a white dwarf and another, low-mass star.

In order to increase the LPT sample size to obtain a more complete picture, we will exploit the plethora of data of the upcoming CHORD radio telescope, a next-generation facility currently being constructed in Canada and is expected to come online in 2027. Thanks to recent advancements in technology, CHORD will have two unique capabilities: an unprecedented sky mapping speed as well as daily repeated sky coverage, the two key ingredients for a successful pulsar survey.

This project is fully funded by the ANR French national grant. The PhD student will be involved in theoptimization and fine-tuning of specific modules of signal processing algorithms, time series data processing and modeling, and/or the exploitation of Machine Learning (ML) based algorithms to reduce false positives caused by human generated interference signals in the observational data as opposed to genuine astrophysical signals.The candidate will also help manage the data processing and the assessment of the search output. At the end of the PhD, we expect the student to become fully proficient in radio astronomical signal processing and an expert in time domain data analysis, particularly in the area of pulsars and fast transients. The candidate will work on follow-ups of discoveries using the Nançay Radio Telescope (NRT) and the NenuFAR telescope at the Nançay Radio Astronomical Observatory in France.

Applicants should have an undergraduate and/or master’s degree in Astronomy (or closely related fields), full-time commitment, and a good command of the English language. Previous research experience is beneficial.

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Research Field Astronomy » Astrophysics Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Additional Information

The candidate will be hosted by the ASTRO team at the LPC2E in Orleans. The team boasts the largest pulsar research group in France and is closely affiliated with the Nançay Radio Astronomical Observatory in the Forest of Sologne. The candidate will also have the opportunity to travel to collaborate with other partnering institutes, as well as to present the research work at international conferences. A laptop will be provided, along with access to necessary computing resources.

Eligibility criteria

Required application materials:

• Personal statement outlining the applicant’s motivation to train as a researcher in astrophysics, and in particular at LPC2E/CNRS, research experience (if any), research interests, and career plans and goals.
• Curriculum Vitae (max 3 pages, including any publications)
• Copy of official undergraduate (and graduate, if available) academic transcripts, with a clear indication of the grading scale system and the ranking of the student within their class

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an online interview in February/March 2026.

Additional comments

The CHORD collaboration is a multi-institutional team with over 100 members. Partnering institutes include the University of Toronto, McGill, Perimeter Institute, University of British Columbia, MIT, INAF, and CNRS, among others. The core array of the CHORD telescope is hosted at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) on the West Coast of Canada, with two outrigger stations to be built at the Green Bank and Hat Creek Observatories in the US.