One Predoctoral Contract at the IAC CHRONOGAL PS-2026-084

INSTITUTO DE ASTROFISICA DE CANARIAS (IAC) RESEARCH DIVISION Organisation/Company INSTITUTO DE ASTROFISICA DE CANARIAS (IAC) RESEARCH DIVISION Research Field Astronomy » Astrophysics Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 15 Nov 2026
- 23:59 (Europe/London) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37 Offer Starting Date 4 Jan 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe
- ERC Reference Number ERC-2024-ADG, Grant Agreement No. 101201412 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No Offer Description The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Tenerife, invites applications for ONE predoctoral research contract in Astrophysics within the project “ Chronology of our Galaxy from Gaia color-magnitude diagram fitting (ChronoGal) ”, funded by the European Union through an ERC Advanced Grant (Ref. HORIZON EUROPE ERC-2024-ADG, Grant Agreement No. 101201412) and led by Professor Carme Gallart. The proposed doctoral project focuses on the stellar populations of the Milky Way bulge by reconstructing the star formation history in different fields within this Galactic component, using state-of-the-art data from Rubin/LSST or the Roman Space Telescope. A substantial part of the project will involve deriving photometry from images currently being acquired, and yet to be acquired, by these two surveys. Strong programming skills and the ability to develop automated data-analysis pipelines are highly desirable. The successful applicant will be based at the IAC headquarters in La Laguna, Tenerife, in a stimulating research environment, where s/he will undertake research on a specific and innovative project leading to the award of a doctoral degree. S/he will join the “Galaxy Evolution in the Local Group” research group, an expanding, dynamic, enthusiastic and collaborative team focused on Galactic archaeology and near-field cosmology, from both observational (e.g. Gaia, WEAVE, 4MOST and LSST) and theoretical perspectives, in collaboration with the “Numerical Astrophysics” research group. Research at the IAC spans most areas of astrophysics, including solar physics, planetary systems, stellar and interstellar physics, galaxy formation and evolution, the Milky Way, cosmology and astroparticle physics. These research activities are supported by an ambitious instrumentation programme. Further information about the IAC’s research programme, its observatories and the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) is available on the IAC website ( https://www.iac.es/ ). Applicants must hold a university degree in Physics or Mathematics. Specific Requirements The qualification must provide access to the PhD Programme at the University of La Laguna (ULL), and applicants must meet the requirements for admission or enrolment in that programme. The admission requirements for ULL doctoral programmes are set out on the University’s website. By way of guidance, these requirements are met, among others, by applicants holding a university master’s degree and by those who, without such a degree, hold an undergraduate degree and have completed a total of 300 ECTS credits, at least 60 of which must correspond to master’s-level study. Other routes of entry to the ULL PhD Programme are described on its website ( https://www.ull.es ). This requirement must be met at the time the application is submitted. Languages ENGLISH Level Good Additional Information Remuneration: Predoctoral contract, excluding the Postdoctoral Orientation Period (up to a maximum of four years):
* First and second years: €21,728.76.
* Third year: €22,918.06.
* Fourth year (without POP): €27,979.48. Relocation allowance: This call includes the possibility of a relocation allowance for the person proposed for appointment. Up to €2,500 may be awarded to cover actual, necessary and duly documented expenses associated with taking up the post at any IAC workplace. Eligible expenses must fall within the categories below and must have been incurred during the 14 days immediately preceding the contract start date: (1) Air or ferry travel from the applicant’s place of residence to Tenerife, at the lowest available fare. The fare includes one cabin bag (56 × 40 × 25 cm, maximum 10 kg) as hand luggage and one item of checked baggage (maximum combined dimensions of 158 cm and maximum weight of 23 kg). (2) Accommodation costs for UP TO 13 nights. (3) Subsistence expenses of UP TO €37.40 per day for 14 days. No other expenses (taxi, train, bus, etc.) will be reimbursed. This allowance is treated as monetary remuneration, and the applicable personal income tax withholding ( Impuesto sobre la Renta de las Personas Físicas, IRPF) will be deducted from the substantiated amount. Successful applicants who have previously received this allowance will not be eligible to receive it again if fewer than 12 months have elapsed since their most recent IAC c