The IAC (Tenerife) announces ONE postdoctoral contract linked to the line of research “The central parsec of galaxies using high spatial resolution techniques” to work on the project “PARSEC: observational appearance of matter accretion: from Supermassive Black Holes to Star formation”. The contract is funded by the MICIU project PID2023-146851NB-I00, led by Dr. Almudena Prieto

Research topics at the IAC include most areas of astrophysics: Solar Physics (FS), Exoplanetary System and Solar System (SEYSS), Stellar and Interstellar Physics (FEEI), The Milky Way and The Local Group (MWLG), Formation and Evolution of Galaxies (FYEG), and Cosmology and Astroparticles (CYA-CTA). All of these are supported by an ambitious instrumentation programme.  Further information about the IAC's research programme, its Observatories and the 10.4m GTC is available at the IAC's web page: https://www.iac.es/en

PARSEC is  a large international project studying the centre of galaxies at extreme angular resolutions across the electromagnetic spectrum. The selected candidate will work on the PARSEC topic: "Observational appearance of matter accretion in galaxies: from Supermassive Black Holes to Star formation”. The project is supported by an extensive  observational program, from radio to  X-ray, and computational modelling in liaison with the Computational Astrophysics group at the University of Munich. PARSEC is also involved in the development of Adaptive Optics assisted instrumentation for large telescopes, including the adaptive instrument FRIDA, a near-IR imager and Integral Field Unit for the 10 m GTC.  Information on the PARSEC project research areas, collaborating researchers and institutes involved are in http://research.iac.es/proyecto/parsec/.

Tasks: The successful candidate will pursue research on the observational appearance of the matter accretion process in the centres of galaxies. He/she will study how matter is conducted to the centres of galaxies to foster nuclear star formation and black hole activity. In PARSEC, we follow the multiscale, multi-phase medium of the accretion phenomenon in galaxies, which occurs via filaments in gas and dust, channelling matter from kpc scales to the central parsec. The successful applicant will work preferentially on the interpretation of our newly acquired ALMA and JWST data of well-known galaxies studied in PARSEC. 

Requirements: The candidates must have an excellent research record, commensurate with the duration of their research career. They must be in possession of a Ph.D. degree in Astrophysics or Physics by the application deadline (August 31, 2025). 

Applications from candidates not in possession of a PhD will be rejected without further consideration. 

Candidates who prepared their thesis at the IAC have to present accreditations of complementary training at other research centers (this period should be either 1 continuous year or 18 accumulated months) by the application deadline. The IAC is an equal-opportunity employer. We encourage, in particular, applications by women and by members of minorities.