Topic: JWST

Join Eduardo Bañados’s group to investigate early quasars and their environments. The postdoc will analyze JWST PRISM-DAWN integral-field spectroscopy, contribute to Euclid’s quasar programme, and help prepare and reduce Large Binocular Telescope observations. The full-time position lasts three years, with a negotiable start; the first half of 2027 is preferred. This vacancy belongs to the September 2026 Max Planck Postdoc Program call, which accepts applications until 13 October 2026 at 12:00 CEST through the official application platform.

Lisa Dang explores how observations reveal the three-dimensional atmospheres and climates of close-in exoplanets. Kepler and TESS have established a diverse population that tests theories of planetary formation and evolution. Tidally locked short-period planets offer strong atmospheric signals but their large day–night contrasts make one-dimensional interpretations inadequate. Measurements from JWST and precise ground-based observatories can expose these spatial differences and determine whether an atmosphere is present. The talk reviews discoveries about intensely irradiated planets and expla

Pratika Dayal examines galaxy and black-hole formation during the first billion years, when the first galaxies ended the cosmic dark ages and began reionizing intergalactic hydrogen. JWST has revealed unexpectedly abundant, massive black holes, reaching about one hundred million solar masses within the first six hundred million years, challenging formation models. These observations can constrain the progress and spatial structure of reionization in preparation for 21-centimeter measurements. Early galaxies also test alternatives to cold dark matter. The talk considers the gravitational-wave e