Duties include academic services in the project named above. Research associates may also pursue further academic qualifications outside of their work responsibilities. The position is part of the proposed project “LISA ground-support equipment: Support for the usage of a Phasemeter simulator and optical testing”. Specifically, the candidate will participate in finalizing the development of specific modules of the GSE phasemeter and will support the adaption of modules to changing hardware specifications. The candidate will also provide on-site support for users of the GSE phasemeter at national and international laboratories and will study the usage of the GSE phasemeter in verification and testing experiments in the context of the LISA mission and the performance of its optical metrology.
The project is funded by the German Aerospace Agency (DLR) and the phasemeter development is conducted in close collaboration with the local partner, DESY MSK, and in collaboration and coordination with the LISA Consortium and national and international partners that make use of the ground-support equipment to assembly, integrate, verify and test the LISA instrument.
The position will be situated in the research group for gravitational wave detection at the University of Hamburg. The group studies metrology and develops instrumentation for ground and space-based detectors like the Einstein Telescope, LIGO, the Lunar Gravitational Wave Antenna (LGWA) and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) with a focus on laser interferometry, inertial sensing, seismic isolation and digital readout and control.
The successful candidate can become members of the Quantum Universe Research School (QURS), which provides academic and soft skills training, as well as career planning support. They will join the LISA consortium and attend international conferences.
Your profile
A university degree in a relevant field.
The following skills are mandatory:
- excellent command of the English language and the ability to communicate and engage in an international team environment
- high motivation and self-organisation skills
- experience with laboratory experiments, ideally gravitational wave detection and laser interferometry
- experience with FPGA programming or other extensive programming experience
Prior experience in several of the following fields is beneficial:
laser stabilization, opto-electronics, optics and laser interferometry, space-based instrumentation, hardware development and testing, analogue and digital electronics, LISA and space-based gravitational wave detection
Outstanding candidates will bring a high, intrinsic motivation, individual responsibility, creative scientific thinking and extensive social and team skills.
Instructions for applying
Contact
Prof. Oliver Gerberding
oliver.gerberding(at)uni-hamburg.de
https://www.physik.uni-hamburg.de/iexp/gwd
Reference number
226
Location
Luruper Chaussee 149
22761 Hamburg
Application deadline
06.09.2026
Use only the online application form to submit your application with the following documents:
- cover letter
- CV
- copies of degree certificate(s)
If you experience technical problems, send an email to bewerbungen(at)uni-hamburg.de.
Please find here details.