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Details of the postdoctoral positions
Application Round
March 2026
Project title
Development of software tools for analysing data from the Gaia satellite
City
Heidelberg
Specific field of research
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Max Planck Institute
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Broad field of research
Chemistry, Physics and Technology Section
Short description of the group/project/topic of research

The Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) is seeking a researcher to develop software for analysing data from ESA's Gaia Galactic survey mission. One of the main goals of Gaia is to map the distribution of stars in our Galaxy in order to understand its origin and evolution. The successful candidate will develop powerful, flexible tools to infer phase space coordinates (positions, velocities) for ensembles of stars using the Gaia astrometry, photometry, and spectroscopy as well as data from other surveys. This will address a range of use cases, producing value-added data products as part of the scientific exploitation and interpretation of the data.

Candidates should have significant experience in python programming and software package development, have worked with astronomical data (ideally Gaia data), and should have some background in Bayesian inference. Either a PhD in astronomy, or a Masters in astronomy together with some years experience working in astronomy, are essential.

In addition to software development, the successful candidate will use the tools to analyse Gaia data, write technical and scientific papers, and will present results at international conferences. The successful candidate will work closely with fellow astronomers and data scientists in the Gaia Consortium.

The appointment is full time for a period of four years. The remuneration is based on the German collective wage agreement for the public sector (TVöD), and depends on qualification and experience. Extensive social benefits are granted according to the regulations for public service. There is some flexibility in starting date, but is ideally between July and September 2026.

Additional information

The MPIA is a large research institute employing nearly 300 people, including 40 scientific staff and 100 postdocs and PhD students. We have access to ground-based and space-based observatories as well as extensive supercomputing facilities and have close connections to Heidelberg University.

The Max-Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are under-represented and therefore explicitly encourages women, and all other historically under-represented groups, to apply. The MPIA supports its employees in the search for suitable child care. For questions concerning promoting equal opportunity for all employees and prospective employees at MPIA, please contact our equal opportunity officers (equality@mpia.de). Regarding disability guidelines and regulations, please contact Ralf Launhardt (rl@mpia.de).

Link to PI’s webpage
https://bailer-jones.www3.mpia.de/
Requirements
Requirements

Applicants have to upload their 

  • CV (including a publication list)
  • a summary of previous research
  • and a statement of interest
Additional requirements for the application

The application documents should be combined into a single PDF file, and in addition to the above list should include a cover letter (which can incorporate the statement of interest). The summary of previous research should describe software you have developed (feel free to provide a link to an online repository such as github), and be no more than two pages long. The deadline for applications is 10 April.

Applicants should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be submitted by the letter writers via the application portal before the above-stated deadline. Details of how to do this are provided in the portal after registration.

Principal Investigator
Coryn Bailer-Jones - Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Email: bailer-jones@mpia.de
Contact person
Dr. Coryn Bailer-Jones
bailer-jones@mpia.de
+49 6221 528224