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A position exists for Research Associate to work in Dr Fusco's group at the Cavendish Laboratory (Physics Department).

The aim of the role is to investigate how the evolutionary trajectories of phage-bacteria ecosystems can be controlled by the physical constraints of the environment, e.g., spatial structure, and the biological constraints of the phage and the bacterium, e.g., resource allocation within the cell. We are particularly interested in understanding how phenotypic noise can be put under selective pressure. The role will involve developing novel theoretical methods to provide guidelines for evolutionary experiments.

The successful candidate will hold (or be close to obtaining) a PhD in physics, evolutionary biology, systems biology or similar with a proven track record in developing theoretical and computational methods to investigate biological systems. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in modeling the genetic basis of phenotypic variability.

The candidate will have the ability to work in a team and co-supervise PhD and Master students.

The post holder will be located at the Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, Maxwell Centre, JJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0US

Ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a cover letter in the upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application. Please submit your application by midnight on the closing date.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 18 months in the first instance.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Diana Fusco (df390@cam.ac.uk). If you have any questions about the application process, please contact hr@phy.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference KA46295 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Cosmic inflation is the leading paradigm for describing the early universe, addressing fundamental issues such as the horizon and flatness problems. However, a key unresolved question is the nature of its initial conditions. In this talk, I will discuss how numerical relativity helps studying inflationary spacetimes with inhomogeneous initial conditions, particularly in the presence of strong gravitational effects from large inhomogeneities. Numerical simulations allow us to map out the phase space of initial conditions that lead to sufficient duration of slow roll inflation versus those that do not. The results strongly depend on the inflationary model, with a rule of thumb that the models with near- or super-Planckian characteristic scales are more robust to matter and geometric inhomogeneities than those with sub-Planckian scales. We mainly focus on the study of α-attractor models and our simulation results allow us to find a lower bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r.

• Speaker: Panos Giannadakis, Queen Mary University of London
• Friday 13 June 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: Potter room/Zoom.
• Series: DAMTP Friday GR Seminar; organiser: Xi Tong.

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In this seminar, I will give a historical overview of the cosmic shear measurements conducted with the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) and their cosmological implications. I will focus on the progress in methodology and systematic error control that has been achieved over the past decade, with a particular focus on the observational problems that were solved to greatly increase the robustness of these analyses. I will present the final KiDS-Legacy results and highlight the lessons learned from KiDS that are most relevant for Euclid.

• Speaker: Hendrik Hildebrandt (Ruhr University Bochum)
• Monday 16 June 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: CMS, Pav. B, CTC Common Room (B1.19) [Potter Room].
• Series: Cosmology Lunch; organiser: Louis Legrand.

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Neutron stars are the largest and the strongest magnets in the Universe. Their typical radius is around 10 km and their magnetic fields could reach values of 1e15 G. Structurally, the outer 1 km shell of a neutron star is its solid crust, while the inner part is its core. Magnetic fields shape observational properties of isolated and accreting neutron stars. Strong magnetic fields play the crucial role in explaining transient and persistent X-ray emission from Anomalous X-ray Pulsars and Soft Gamma Repeaters jointly known as magnetars. Magnetic fields are not constant and expected to evolve over time. In the last years, a significant progress was made in modelling magneto-thermal evolution of neutron star crust. Ohmic decay and Hall evolution explains multiple magnetar properties.  In this colloquium, I summarise the main observational constrains currently available on magnetic fields of neutron stars and confront them with state-of-art numerical simulations. I will explain how current and future observations help us to learn more about magnetic field evolution and its structure. I also explain how the neutron star core can be modelled and show preliminary results for field evolution in the core.

• Speaker: Andrei Igoshev, Newcastle University
• Thursday 12 June 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Hoyle Lecture Theatre, Institute of Astronomy.
• Series: Institute of Astronomy Colloquia; organiser: Mor Rozner.

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We are seeking an outstanding researcher to join Professor Teuta Pilizota's group at the University of Cambridge, in their effort to understand how physico-chemical forces limit bacterial growth and death. Vibrio natriegens is one of the fastest-growing organisms ever known, as it can double in about 10 minutes. That said, if we look simply at its protein sequences, it is more than 97% similar to another Vibrio species, V. campbellii, which takes twice as long to double. Therefore, it is unlikely that V. natriegens simply adopted its proteome for faster growth. Intrigued by this puzzle of supercharged growth, we recently compared the speed of enzymes found in V.natriegens with those of V. campbellii, and of the bacteria Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis, which are much slower growing. We would like to find out why there are such substantial differences. It seems that the biological environment created in the cytoplasm of V. natriegens has unique physico-chemical properties that effectively raise the temperature ¿ and thus speed up ¿ the rate at which reactions occur.

The successful candidate will work together with an international HFSP funded team (https://www.hfsp.org/sites/default/files/195x265Grant%20Award%20Booklet2024_7.pdf) to characterise these factors: pH, osmolytes, crowding, and membrane potential, in a range of conditions that could influence them. We expect that looking at the dying process of V.natriegens in comparison to, e.g., V. campbellii and E. coli, will also shed light on the characteristics of the cytoplasmic environment. Currently growth is primarily investigated in the context of molecular processes, such as signaling and regulation, we will now investigate the contribution and control of the cytoplasmic environment on cell growth and death.

Appointment at research associate level is dependent on having a PhD including those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD (in which case appointment will initially be made at research assistant and amended to research associate when the PhD is awarded).

Please be advised that references will be required in advance of interviews, therefore, please ensure that you provide your consent on the application form as relevant.

Ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a cover letter in the upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance. There may be a possibility of extension, depending on funding.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Professor Teuta Pilizota at tp579@cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference KA46259 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

The long-period radio transients are a newly-discovered class of Galactic radio sources that produce pulsed emission lasting tens of seconds to several minutes, repeating on timescales of tens of minutes to hours. Such cadence is unprecedented, and there is currently no clear emission mechanism or progenitor that can explain the observations, which include complex polarisation behaviour, pulse microstructure, and activity windows that range from hours to decades.

Could they be ultra-long period magnetars, and connected to the phenomenon of Fast Radio Bursts? Could they be white dwarf pulsars, defying the expectations of the magnetic field evolution of these stellar remnants? In this talk I will describe the ten discoveries made so far, informative simulations of their evolution, the potential physical explanations, and the prospects for detecting more of these sources in ongoing and upcoming radio surveys, that will help uncover their true nature.

• Speaker: Prof. Natasha Hurley-Walker (Curtin University)
• Thursday 12 June 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: Coffee area, Battcock Centre.
• Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: Charles Walker.

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In recent years, free floating planets, i.e. those planets not found to be in a planetary system and with no observable companions, have begun to be found in microlensing and direct imaging surveys. Observations have shown that they have a wide variety of masses, ranging from terrestrial-like to giant planets. Microlensing surveys predict that there could be on order tens of free floating planets per star in the Milky Way. How these planets form and arrive on their observed trajectories remains a very open and intriguing question.

Whilst there are many mechanisms for forming free floating planets, e.g. ejections from planet-planet interactions or gravitational collapse of gas within molecular clouds, very few models have predicted the properties of free floating planets on a global scale. In this talk I will present the outcomes of state-of-the-art circumbinary planet formation models, that naturally produce a large abundance free floating planets per system. I will show the resulting mass and velocity distributions arising from the models, which will then be extended to include stellar populations of both single and binary stars, taking into binary fractions, and separations. The population distributions show clear observable features that can be investigated by future missions such as Roman, where evidence of these features will directly point to the specific formation pathways of specific planets, as well as informing on the processes of the planet forming environment in which they originated.

• Speaker: Gavin Coleman [Queen Mary University London]
• Monday 16 June 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR14 DAMTP and online.
• Series: DAMTP Astrophysics Seminars; organiser: Thomas Jannaud.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Enea Di Dio (University of Geneva)
• Monday 20 October 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: CMS, Pav. B, CTC Common Room (B1.19) [Potter Room].
• Series: Cosmology Lunch; organiser: Louis Legrand.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Boryana Hadzhiyska (University of California, Berkeley)
• Monday 17 November 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: CMS, Pav. B, CTC Common Room (B1.19) [Potter Room].
• Series: Cosmology Lunch; organiser: Louis Legrand.

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The long-period radio transients are a newly-discovered class of Galactic radio sources that produce pulsed emission lasting tens of seconds to several minutes, repeating on timescales of tens of minutes to hours. Such cadence is unprecedented, and there is currently no clear emission mechanism or progenitor that can explain the observations, which include complex polarisation behaviour, pulse microstructure, and activity windows that range from hours to decades.

Could they be ultra-long period magnetars, and connected to the phenomenon of Fast Radio Bursts? Could they be white dwarf pulsars, defying the expectations of the magnetic field evolution of these stellar remnants? In this talk I will describe the ten discoveries made so far, informative simulations of their evolution, the potential physical explanations, and the prospects for detecting more of these sources in ongoing and upcoming radio surveys, that will help uncover their true nature.

• Speaker: Prof. Natasha Hurley-Walker (Curtin University)
• Thursday 12 June 2025, 11:15-12:00
• Venue: Martin Ryle Seminar Room, Kavli Institute.
• Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: Charles Walker.

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Observations of debris disks provide unique insight into the environments in which planetary systems form and evolve. Debris disks are planetary systems containing planets, planetesimals, and dust. Collisions among these bodies produce observable secondary gas and dust which act as tracers for a host of processes with in the disk. JWST is revolutionizing our understanding of debris disks through exquisitely sensitive, high angular resolution near- to mid-infrared observations. I will present highlights from Cycle 1 programs including the discovery of (1) large, recent collisions in the archetypal beta Pic debris disk, (2) water ice in exo-Kuiper Belts, and (3) hot, florescent CO gas in young (

• Speaker: Christine Chen, STScI
• Wednesday 11 June 2025, 10:00-11:00
• Venue: Ryle seminar room + ONLINE - Details to be sent by email.
• Series: Exoplanet Seminars; organiser: Max Sommer.

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Observations of debris disks provide unique insight into the environments in which planetary systems form and evolve. Debris disks are planetary systems containing planets, planetesimals, and dust. Collisions among these bodies produce observable secondary gas and dust which act as tracers for a host of processes with in the disk. JWST is revolutionizing our understanding of debris disks through exquisitely sensitive, high angular resolution near- to mid-infrared observations. I will present highlights from Cycle 1 programs including the discovery of (1) large, recent collisions in the archetypal beta Pic debris disk, (2) water ice in exo-Kuiper Belts, and (3) hot, florescent CO gas in young (

• Speaker: Christine Chen, STScI
• Wednesday 11 June 2025, 10:00-11:00
• Venue: Ryle seminar room + ONLINE - Details to be sent by email.
• Series: Exoplanet Seminars; organiser: Max Sommer.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Madeleine McKenzie (Carnegie)
• Friday 20 June 2025, 11:30-12:30
• Venue: Ryle Seminar Room, KICC + online.
• Series: Galaxies Discussion Group; organiser: Sandro Tacchella.

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Impacts by icy bodies likely played a key role in shaping the composition, and habitability, of Solar-System planets. We determine the role they may play in exoplanetary systems by coupling a cometary impact model with a 3D, Earth-analogue, climate model. I will discuss how both the impact-delivered water and thermal energy affects the global climate and composition, including: i) a modified cloud greenhouse effect and planetary albedo, ii) an enhancement in the abundance of most oxygen-bearing molecules (bar ozone), and iii) an enhancement in the escape rate of hydrogen from the exosphere. I will describe how these responses are shaped by atmospheric circulations driven by the planetary orbital configuration, including the role that impact location plays in setting the vertical transport and hence hydrogen escape rate. Finally, I will quantify the potential observability of individual massive impacts in future observations of exo-Earths.

• Speaker: Felix Sainsbury-Martinez (Leeds)
• Tuesday 10 June 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: Ryle seminar room + ONLINE - Details to be sent by email.
• Series: Exoplanet Seminars; organiser: Dr Dolev Bashi.

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Impacts by icy bodies likely played a key role in shaping the composition, and habitability, of Solar-System planets. We determine the role they may play in exoplanetary systems by coupling a cometary impact model with a 3D, Earth-analogue, climate model. I will discuss how both the impact-delivered water and thermal energy affects the global climate and composition, including: i) a modified cloud greenhouse effect and planetary albedo, ii) an enhancement in the abundance of most oxygen-bearing molecules (bar ozone), and iii) an enhancement in the escape rate of hydrogen from the exosphere. I will describe how these responses are shaped by atmospheric circulations driven by the planetary orbital configuration, including the role that impact location plays in setting the vertical transport and hence hydrogen escape rate. Finally, I will quantify the potential observability of individual massive impacts in future observations of exo-Earths.

• Speaker: Felix Sainsbury-Martinez (Leeds)
• Tuesday 10 June 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: Ryle seminar room + ONLINE - Details to be sent by email.
• Series: Exoplanet Seminars; organiser: Dr Dolev Bashi.

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Join us for an exploration of how intuitive knowledge systems might complement current approaches in scientific discovery. Drawing from conversations during her fellowship at the Cavendish, artist Akeelah Bertram examines the acknowledged limits of current calculation systems and the role of intuition for receiving unknown phenomena. Through readings from her developing publication “Sacred Architecture,” she reflects on parallel knowledge systems, drawing from Caribbean congregational practices and embodied ways of knowing. This talk explores questions about the convergence of rigorous scientific inquiry with intuitive methodologies, considering what might emerge when different ways of knowing are held in dialogue.

• Speaker: Akeelah Bertram (Cavendish Arts Science Fellow)
• Tuesday 10 June 2025, 11:15-12:00
• Venue: Coffee area, Battcock Centre.
• Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: Charles Walker.

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Gravitational-wave (GW) multi-messenger astronomy holds immense promise for our understanding of the Universe, impacting studies of cosmology, the production of elements, and the final fates of stars. To date, however, only a single credible source, GW170817 , caused by the merger of two neutron stars, has been detected both in GWs and electromagnetically. I will discuss the scientific potential and challenges of observing more multi-messenger events, as motivation for the GOTO project: a UK-led transient sky survey composed of a fleet of rapidly-responding telescope arrays. The primary science driver of GOTO is scanning the sky in response to GW alerts, to search for their electromagnetic counterparts. Alongside overviewing GOTO ’s capabilities and recent multi-messenger efforts, I will present highlights from various ancillary science enabled by the array. This includes rapid localisation and characterisation of gamma-ray bursts, and discoveries of infant and extreme supernovae beyond the traditional core-collapse and thermonuclear regimes. I will also present our efforts to automate and expedite the characterisation of transients via algorithmically scheduled follow-up and citizen scientists.

• Speaker: Joseph Lyman, University of Warwick
• Thursday 12 June 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Hoyle Lecture Theatre, Institute of Astronomy.
• Series: Institute of Astronomy Colloquia; organiser: Matthew Grayling.

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Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations are becoming increasingly realistic by incorporating a wider range of physical processes, higher spatial resolution, and larger statistical samples. Despite ongoing trade-offs between resolution and volume, recent advances now allow for simulations that resolve the multiphase interstellar medium and capture the clumpy nature of star formation in galaxies. In this context, I will present how such simulations shed light on the coupled evolution of galaxies and their central supermassive black holes. At high redshift, galaxies tend to be gas-rich, turbulent, and star-bursting, often exhibiting irregular, compact, and disturbed morphologies. As internal turbulence subsides, many systems transition into stable, rotating disc galaxies, typically once they reach stellar masses around 1e10 Msun. Simultaneously, black hole growth is tightly linked to the dynamical state of the host galaxy. In low-mass, turbulent systems, stellar feedback can suppress nuclear gas inflows, delaying black hole growth. Only when galaxies become sufficiently massive and dynamically settled can gas efficiently reach galactic centers to fuel sustained accretion. These processes also have important implications for the spin evolution of black holes or how fast they coalesce, which can reflect the varying modes of accretion and feedback across cosmic time.

• Speaker: Yohan Dubois (Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris)
• Thursday 05 June 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Hoyle Lecture Theatre, Institute of Astronomy.
• Series: Institute of Astronomy Colloquia; organiser: Matthew Grayling.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: George Becker (UC Riverside)
• Friday 06 June 2025, 11:30-12:30
• Venue: Ryle Seminar Room, KICC + online.
• Series: Galaxies Discussion Group; organiser: Sandro Tacchella.

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Dr Maria Dias, Neurodiversity Adviser at the Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) and St Catharine’s College, will explore how people with different neurotypes communicate in unique ways, and why understanding these differences is important for creating more inclusive and supportive environments. Whether you’re neurodivergent yourself, work with neurodivergent people, or just want to learn more, this talk is for you. There will be time for questions and open discussion at the end.

• Speaker: Maria Dias, Neurodiversity Adviser at the Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) and St Catharine’s College
• Wednesday 11 June 2025, 13:15-14:05
• Venue: The Hoyle Lecture Theatre + Zoom .
• Series: Institute of Astronomy Seminars; organiser: Cristiano Longarini.

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