Numerical modeling of astrophysical transients with the open-science TARDIS collaboration

The TARDIS collaboration is actively applying and extending the Monte Carlo radiative-transfer  framework TARDIS (https://tardis-sn.github.io/) to model the physics of astrophysical transients.  The group has a specific focus on Type Ia progenitor problems, nucleosynthesis in neutron star mergers, progenitors of stripped core-collapse supernovae, and cosmology using Type IIP supernovae.

We use data from current (ZTF, HST, JWST) and next-generation telescopes/surveys (LSST, WFIRST) to address scientific questions with the TARDIS RT framework as well as machine learning and statistical methodology. Thus, the larger global TARDIS collaboration encompasses not only astrophysicists but also accomplished researchers in statistics, neural networks, and general machine learning. The group at MSU is jointly based in the Department of Physics and Astronomy as well as the new interdisciplinary Department of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering.

The work of this postdoc will be to extend the microphysics of the TARDIS and then modeling observational data and publish the results. The group welcomes applicants to conduct detailed studies on the physics of common envelope events in binary star systems with a specific emphasis on using the TARDIS code to post-process hydro-simulations of these events providing synthetic spectra.

The position’s scientific output relies heavily on the TARDIS radiative transfer software framework. We particularly encourage applicants with a demonstrated track record in using and developing radiative transfer methods. Experience in open-source software development is preferred, but not essential.

The TARDIS group at Michigan State University puts a strong emphasis on professional development and mentorship. We expect successful applicants to take active leadership roles in shaping the group and mentoring both graduate and undergraduate students. We do not expect the applicants to have existing experience in leadership and mentoring but will provide training for both. The group also sets up a mentorship plan for incoming new members which is linked to the astronomy department mentorship program. The professional development includes training in paper and grant writing, research presentations, and networking.

Application Details
Applicants should submit a brief cover letter describing their interest in the position and, optionally, proposing personal research projects using TARDIS, a CV including thesis title, publication list, and, if applicable, mentorship experience and/or contributions to open source/open science.

Applicants should provide contact details for three references. We might request letters from these references at a later stage.

Applications should be submitted through the MSU hiring website (https://careers.msu.edu), posting, posting 1114055.