Postdoc position Space Research and Planetary Sciences​/Astronomical Institute

Overview

Postdoc position Space Research and Planetary Sciences / Astronomical Institute 100%, fixed-term, Bern.

• 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

• 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

Please Include The Following Documents:

• 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).

Questions about the position? PD Dr. Antoine Pommerol, Dr. Daniel Arnold, and PD Dr. Martin Jutzi are available for inquiries at the provided emails.

The Division of Space Research and Planetary Sciences and the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern invite applications for a fully funded postdoc position (2 years + possible 1 year extension). The successful candidate will contribute to an ambitious research project linked to ESA s RAMSES mission and to the Swiss National Science Foundation project “Characterisation of Near Earth Asteroid Apophis by exploitation of RAMSES mission data.”

The RAMSES mission will rendezvous with the near-Earth asteroid (99942) Apophis in 2029 and observe its close flyby of Earth, providing insights into asteroid surface and internal structure. The postdoctoral project focuses on developing a numerical Apophis Reference Model (ARM) and integrating results from multiple work packages.

For further project details, see the original content describing team composition and collaboration at the Division and Institute levels.