Hosting structure

PSL University is launching a call for applications for a PSL Junior Professor Chair position in Astrophysics, titled "The contribution of space missions to the characterization of star-(exo)planet systems." The successful candidate will be based LIRA, Observatoire de Paris-PSL, https://lira.observatoiredeparis.psl.eu/

This is a tenure track position with a reduced teaching load leading to a full professor position at the Laboratory for Instrumentation and Research in Astrophysics (LIRA, Observatoire de Paris-PSL).The position will start from January 2027 on (or at a mutually agreed later date).
The contract must be signed by the end of December 2026.
The position is open to all researchers wishing to develop their activity in the study of exoplanets and their host stars in the field of astrophysics. The position includes an internationally competitive salary and competitive start-up package.

Wholly committed to excellence in education, training and research, PSL is a global university, which aims to reflect, represent and influence society today and the world of the future in all its diversity. The university’s collegial ethos is a major asset. Made up of thirteen component institutions, including Paris Observatory, PSL ensures that dialogue takes place between all areas of knowledge, innovation and creativity in science, humanities, social sciences, arts and engineering.

PSL offers an education led by the research carried out in its laboratories while encouraging discussion and mobility between disciplines and across schools. Our university exercises critical thinking and fosters creativity. Students are selected on the basis of their potential and talent. The university champions equal opportunities and promotes social, cultural and geographic diversity, and students are guaranteed individual mentoring, small class sizes and personalized academic pathways.

LIRA is one of the departments of the Paris Observatory-PSL and one of France’s largest astrophysics research labs. Approximately 300 people work there, half of whom are permanent staff (85 researchers and faculty members, and 76 engineers, technicians, and administrative staff). The laboratory’s main research themes focus on the heliosphere, astrophysical plasmas, and star-planet interactions; the formation and evolution of Solar System objects, planets and their climates, and the conditions favorable to the emergence of life; the formation, diversity, and habitability of exoplanetary systems; the chemical and dynamical history of stars and galaxies in the Local Group; and the development of cutting-edge instrumental techniques for the high-angular-resolution observation and understanding of astrophysical objects. To support this research, LIRA is heavily involved in several flagship space missions (Solar Orbiter, BepiColombo, MIRS, JUICE, Gaia, PLATO) and in the development and operation of ground-based instrumentation (Gravity+/VLTI, SPHERE/VLT, MICADO/ELT, Nénufar, SKA).

The proposed Junior Professor Chair profile aligns with the activities of LIRA’s “Exoplanetary Systems” and “Stars and Galaxies” research groups. This position opens at a critical time for the scientific exploitation of a wealth of new data from space missions such as JWST (first data in 2022), Gaia (upcoming catalogs in 2026 and 2031), the Roman Space Telescope and PLATO (launches in 2026 and 2027), and Ariel (launch in 2029), supplemented by ground-based observatories in which LIRA is deeply involved. These missions will provide an unprecedented view of exoplanetary systems and their connection to host stars, the conditions for their habitability, and questions about the origins of life. These are key research areas for our laboratory—and, more broadly, central questions in contemporary astrophysics with significant societal impact.
LIRA is also highly active in teaching, particularly in the Master 1 in Space Sciences and Technologies and the Master 2 International Research Track of PSL’s Astro Graduate Program, which it currently directs. The successful candidate will join the Graduate Program’s leadership team, with the short-term goal of managing the increased administrative workload resulting from the program’s successful initiatives and the medium-term goal of preparing for the current director’s retirement.