General information
Offer title : Gravitational Waves in nano-Hz band. (M/F) (H/F)
Reference : UMR7164-STABAB-007
Number of position : 1
Workplace : PARIS 13
Date of publication : 14 October 2025
Type of Contract : Researcher in FTC
Contract Period : 24 months
Expected date of employment : 5 January 2026
Proportion of work : Full Time
Remuneration : about 3100 euros, monthly brutto
Desired level of education : Doctorate
Experience required : Indifferent
Section(s) CN : 01 - Interactions, particles, nuclei, from laboratory to cosmos
Missions
A Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) aims to detect gravitational-wave signals in the nano-Hz band using radio observations of millisecond pulsars. This project has two main objectives: 1. Noise modelling: refining models of noise in individual millisecond pulsars, with particular emphasis on contributions from the propagation of radio signals through ionised interstellar plasma; and 2. Signal separation: modelling the stochastic gravitational-wave background in the PTA band and distinguishing it from instrumental and environmental noise sources. All analyses will be conducted using a Bayesian inference framework. The successful candidate will be working within EPTA collaboration
Activities
The position is for two years. The activities are organised as follows
1. During the first year, we will formulate several competing noise models and rank them using Bayesian techniques (Bayes factor). This requires working with transdimensional Bayesian inference (in particular product space approach). This work will be done for each pulsar in EPTA data.
2. During the second year we will consider parametrised models for stochastic gravitational wave background originated either from a population of inspiralling supermassive balck hole binaries and/or from violent processes in the early Universe.
We will perform search for GW signals in the data incremented in its volume as more observations become available.
Skills
The successful candidate should be fluent in English and hold a PhD in astrophysics or a related field. Essential skills include programming in Python, familiarity with PTA data processing, and knowledge of Bayesian techniques.
Work Context
The position will be hosted at the AstroParticule et Cosmologie (APC/CNRS) laboratory in Paris. The selected candidate will become part of the Gravitation group, actively engaged in major gravitational-wave collaborations such as VIRGO, LISA, and EPTA. The group offers a dynamic, friendly, and inclusive research environment.
Constraints and risks
None
Additional Information
Supported by DIM-Origin: project "PTA-hum: Gravitational Waves in nano-Hz
band."