Assistant Professor Position in Laboratory Astrochemistry
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Assistant Professor Position in Laboratory Astrochemistry
The IRASTRO and InterCat group under Professor Liv Hornekær is seeking applications for an Assistant Professor position at The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Aarhus University.
Starting Date and Period
This is a 15-month position starting from 1 November 2025 or as soon possible thereafter.
Job description
The successful applicants will participate in the experimental research activities under ERC SyG project IRAstro and Center for Interstellar Catalysis - InterCat aimed at determining how interstellar nanoscale dust grains act as catalysts for the formation of molecules, in low temperature condensed ices in the interstellar medium. They will use low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and single molecule IR spectroscopy to study IR emission from low temperature ices and to follow in situ reactions leading to complex molecule formation on realistic dust grain analogue surfaces. Close collaboration with theoreticians, observers and other experimental astrochemistry groups is expected.
The job includes
• Setup and characterization of the new IRAstro low temperature STM with single molecule IR emission detection capabilities.
• STM and IR spectroscopy measurement of realistic low temperature interstellar molecular ices formed via in situ reactions.
• Investigation of energy dissipation pathways in interstellar molecular ices.
• participation in maintenance of the group laboratories.
• data analysis and writing scientific publications.
• supervision of PhD, Master and bachelor students.
• project administration, such as writing reports etc.
Qualifications
Candidates should have a PhD degree and at least three years of experience as a postdoc in physics or similar field. They should have strong experience in experimental surface science, UHV techniques, catalysis/reactions on surfaces and atomic scale characterization. A background in laboratory astrochemistry is preferred.
The ideal candidate has good collaborative skills, ability to work independently, and leadership potential with the desire to build their own research group.
About IRAstro and InterCat
The IRAstro project is supported by ERC. The aim is to develop new methods to detect infrared signatures of single molecules formed through low temperature reactions on model ice systems. These methods will be used to explain reactions observed by telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The project seeks to improve our fundamental understanding of low temperature chemistry taking place in ices and on ice surfaces typical of cold, dark interstellar clouds. JWST has made it possible to obtain infrared spectra of such ices, revealing the presence of complex organic molecules. By investigating the impact of the local environment on the infrared spectra of individual molecules, IRASTRO will provide new tools to interpret JWST data of molecular ices. These tools will be used to help determine whether reactions in interstellar ices can lead to the formation of the molecular building blocks of life.
InterCat – Center for Interstellar Catalysis - is a center of excellence supported by the Danish National Research Foundation. The center is situated at the Department of Physics and Astronomy and at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center at Aarhus University in Denmark and at Leiden Observatory at Leiden University in the Netherlands. See https://phys.au.dk/intercat/ for further details.
Place of work and area of Employment
The place of work is Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.
For further information on the position please contact Prof. Liv Hornekær (liv@phys.au.dk).
Application procedure
Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee and will receive his/her assessment. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.
Letter of reference
If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline. Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.
If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: HR.Nattech@au.dk
Formalities and salary range
Natural Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.
Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.
Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.
At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website, you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.
Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.
Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.
The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.
Aarhus University
Starting Date and Period
This is a 15-month position starting from 1 November 2025 or as soon possible thereafter.
Job description
The successful applicants will participate in the experimental research activities under ERC SyG project IRAstro and Center for Interstellar Catalysis - InterCat aimed at determining how interstellar nanoscale dust grains act as catalysts for the formation of molecules, in low temperature condensed ices in the interstellar medium. They will use low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and single molecule IR spectroscopy to study IR emission from low temperature ices and to follow in situ reactions leading to complex molecule formation on realistic dust grain analogue surfaces. Close collaboration with theoreticians, observers and other experimental astrochemistry groups is expected.
The job includes
• Setup and characterization of the new IRAstro low temperature STM with single molecule IR emission detection capabilities.
• STM and IR spectroscopy measurement of realistic low temperature interstellar molecular ices formed via in situ reactions.
• Investigation of energy dissipation pathways in interstellar molecular ices.
• participation in maintenance of the group laboratories.
• data analysis and writing scientific publications.
• supervision of PhD, Master and bachelor students.
• project administration, such as writing reports etc.
Qualifications
Candidates should have a PhD degree and at least three years of experience as a postdoc in physics or similar field. They should have strong experience in experimental surface science, UHV techniques, catalysis/reactions on surfaces and atomic scale characterization. A background in laboratory astrochemistry is preferred.
The ideal candidate has good collaborative skills, ability to work independently, and leadership potential with the desire to build their own research group.
About IRAstro and InterCat
The IRAstro project is supported by ERC. The aim is to develop new methods to detect infrared signatures of single molecules formed through low temperature reactions on model ice systems. These methods will be used to explain reactions observed by telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The project seeks to improve our fundamental understanding of low temperature chemistry taking place in ices and on ice surfaces typical of cold, dark interstellar clouds. JWST has made it possible to obtain infrared spectra of such ices, revealing the presence of complex organic molecules. By investigating the impact of the local environment on the infrared spectra of individual molecules, IRASTRO will provide new tools to interpret JWST data of molecular ices. These tools will be used to help determine whether reactions in interstellar ices can lead to the formation of the molecular building blocks of life.
InterCat – Center for Interstellar Catalysis - is a center of excellence supported by the Danish National Research Foundation. The center is situated at the Department of Physics and Astronomy and at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center at Aarhus University in Denmark and at Leiden Observatory at Leiden University in the Netherlands. See https://phys.au.dk/intercat/ for further details.
Place of work and area of Employment
The place of work is Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.
For further information on the position please contact Prof. Liv Hornekær (liv@phys.au.dk).
Application procedure
Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee and will receive his/her assessment. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.
Letter of reference
If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline. Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.
If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: HR.Nattech@au.dk
Formalities and salary range
Natural Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.
Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.
Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.
At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website, you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.
Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.
Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.
The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.
Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/