Postdoc position Space Research and Planetary Sciences​/Astronomical Institute

Your profile

• PhD degree in (astro-)physics, astronomy, planetary science, geology, or a related field
• Strong interest for planetary sciences, astronomy and small-body research
• Scientific programming skills (e.g., Python, Julia, C/C++, or similar)
• Ability to work collaboratively in an international team
• Fluency in written and spoken English

The following will be considered advantages:

• Background in small body geophysics and experience with geophysical modeling
• Knowledge of (some of) the following fields: spectro-photometry, gravity field determination, impact modelling
• Willingness to expand into new fields and methods
• Knowledge of standard data and archive formats (PDS, PSA) for space mission datasets
• Use of Geographic Information System (GIS)
• Use of the SPICE toolkit used to compute geometric observations for space missions.

• A fully funded postdoc position at the University of Bern (with salary following the guidelines of the University of Bern)
• Participation in a cutting‑edge ESA mission with high scientific impact
• Access to state‑of‑the‑art computational and experimental resources
• A collaborative and international research environment
• Opportunities for conference participation and scientific networking

• A letter of motivation, including research interests and skills (max 2 pages)
• A detailed CV, including a list of publications
• PhD diploma
• The names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation

Deadline:
Complete applications received by July 31, 2026 will receive full consideration. After this date, applications will be considered depending on availability.

The University of Bern is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women and under-represented minorities.

The application shall be sent to Tina Rothenbühler (tina.rothenbuehler).