Research Assistant/Associate in Exoplanetary Remote Sensing and Data Science (up to 2 posts) (Fixed Term)
Fixed-term: The appointment will be made for two years in the first instance, with the possibility for extension up to one year. This UKRI‑funded postdoctoral position is at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, within the research group of Prof. Nikku Madhusudhan. The group has extensive expertise in exoplanetary science across atmospheres, interiors and habitability, in both observational and theoretical areas.
The position will focus on characterising low‑mass exoplanets in the sub‑Neptune regime using observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and other facilities. One or more posts will be available in areas related to exoplanetary remote sensing and data science, including data reduction and analyses, statistical methods and software development.
* Strong expertise in one or more of the following areas:
o Astronomical spectroscopy, preferably exoplanet spectroscopy using HST, JWST, large ground‑based telescopes and/or other facilities at low or high resolution, including data reduction and time‑series analyses.
o Earth or planetary remote sensing.
o Data science approaches, including statistical methods, handling of large datasets, pipeline development and/or machine learning.
o Full‑stack software development in relevant applications, including system analysis, design, implementation, testing and deployment.
Candidates with limited experience in exoplanetary science but with strong relevant expertise in the areas listed above are welcome to apply. Applicants must have a PhD in Astronomy, Physics, Computer Science, Engineering or a related field, or have satisfied the requirements for PhD by the time of appointment.
Successful candidates will be expected to pursue a competitive research programme in a collegial environment and have strong communication and computing skills. A successful candidate with a PhD will be appointed at Grade 7 (£37,694 to £46,049 per annum). A candidate who has not been awarded their PhD will initially be appointed at Grade 5 (£34,610 to £35,608 per annum) and, upon award of PhD, promoted to Grade 7.
The University of Cambridge thrives on the diversity of its staff and students. Applications from under‑represented groups are particularly welcome. The University has a number of family‑friendly policies and initiatives, including a returning‑career scheme, childcare costs support, university workplace nurseries, university holiday play‑schemes and a shared parental‑leave policy. As part of its commitment to providing a family‑friendly environment for researchers, the IoA ensures that should parental leave be needed during the course of employment, there is provision for extension to contract to compensate for the parental leave taken.
Please quote reference LG48101 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy. Further particulars are available on the recruitment portal. For any queries regarding the application please contact:
* HR: hr@ast.cam.ac.uk
* Informal inquiries may be addressed to Professor Nikku Madhusudhan via nmadhu@ast.cam.ac.uk
The University of Cambridge is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). The University expects candidates to apply the principles of DORA when preparing their applications. We do not use journal‑level metrics when assessing the quality of research outputs. Applicants should not include journal‑level metrics, such as the Journal Impact Factor, anywhere in their application materials. More information about DORA, its principles and aims can be found at: https://sfdora.org/ and https://www.research-strategy.admin.cam.ac.uk/research-policy/DORA/.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. This role is supported by a UKRI Frontier Grant.
The application deadline is 23:59 GMT on Sunday, 11th January 2026. Interviews will be provisionally scheduled for early February. The start date of the appointment is negotiable.
Seniority level
* Internship
Employment type
* Contract
Job function
* Research, Analyst, and Information Technology
* Industries: Research Services
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