The University of Arizona (UA) Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory (SO) is seeking candidates for one Postdoctoral Research Associate position. The Department of Astronomy/Steward Observatory is a vibrant hub of technological innovations in both observational and theoretical astrophysics with over 80 faculty members, new instruments, data processing methods, theoretical models, and numerical algorithms are constantly being developed.

The Barbara Pichardo Future Faculty Fellowship is a distinguished followship that will be awarded to a senior postdoctoral researcher who demonstrates excellence in galactic dynamics and shows great promise as future faculty in astrophysics. The late Barbara Pichardo (1968-2019) was an exceptional astrophysicist who made significant contributions to our understanding of dynamics in disk systems. Her later works focused on the role of chaos in disk galaxy evolution, which is an expected research focus for this fellow. Dr. Pichardo was a passionate mentor and teacher, inspiring a generation of researchers to pursue astrophysics. This fellow will benefit from being part of the “Unsolved Problems in Astrophysics” mentorship network, which spans multiple institutions and provides networking opportunities with leading astronomers across the country with a broad range of expertise. In preparation for a faculty position, this fellow will also receive mentorship on and experience in designing and using inclusive pedagogical practices.

The successful applicant will be encouraged to integrate into Dr. Kate Daniel's group on problems in galactic dynamics and will also be a part of the Astrophysics Theory group at U Arizona.

The successful applicant will have the opportunity to collaborate a project to develop the Permutation Entropy and Statistical Complexity analysis (PESCy) method and for comparing PESCy with other established methods for identifying chaotic orbits in dynamical systems, including Frequency Analysis Mapping (FAM) and measures of entropy. This candidate will have priority status in leading the use of PESCy on a project to better understand the growth of a boxy/peanut (BP) shaped bulges in barred galaxies.

A fraction of the time will be made available for independent research and new projects in related areas. This is a year-to-year appointment, contingent upon funding and performance.

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* Development of PESCy code for public use.
* Compare PESCy results with those from FAM.
* Disk galaxy modeling and simulations.
* Apply PESCy to problems in galaxy evolution, like the emergence of a BP bulge.
* Mentorship of a graduate student.

Additional duties as assigned.

• Must have completed all the requirements of a Ph.D. by the time of hire as well as minimum of 2 years postdoc experience.
• Experience using FAM and wFFT methods.

• Experience in modeling disk galaxies, galactic dynamics, and developing code to analyze simulated galactic systems.