Research fellowship position (for PhD students) in the field of stars and planetary systems

Ref: IA2017-05-BI

The Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) opens a call for 1 research fellowship (Bolsa de Investigação - Mestre) in the field of Stars and Planetary Systems at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA).

The position is offered in the context of the project "Towards the precise characterization of Earth-like exoplanets" with financial support provided by the FCT (refª IF/00028/2014/CP1215/CT0002).

The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) assembles more than two-thirds of all active researchers working in Space Sciences in Portugal, and is responsible for an even greater fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in this area. The research and development effort at the IA includes most of the topics at the forefront of research in Astrophysics and Space Sciences, complemented by work on instrumentation and systems with potential use in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

The call is open in the fields of Stars and Planetary Systems, and the fellowship is to be started preferably from the 1st of October 2017. The position has a maximum duration of 24 months. It is awarded for 12 months, followed by additional 12 months upon successful renewal.

The fellowship contract will comply with the ''Lei nº 40/2004 de 18 de Agosto (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação) and ''Regulamento de Bolsas e Investigação da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia'' in force (http://fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/RegulamentoBolsasFCT.pdf).

According to the FCT table values (http:www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores), the monthly allowance will be €980 (tax free) and will be paid monthly by bank transfer. The fellowships holders will have a personal accident insurance and, if not covered by any social protection scheme can ensure the right to social security through adherence to the voluntary social insurance scheme, pursuant to Código dos Regimes Contributivos do Sistema Previdencial de Segurança Social. Funds for traveling (conferences, collaborations, observing missions) are also available. The work plan is to be carried out in IA, in Porto, under the supervision of Dr. Sérgio Sousa.

Research work plan:

The successful candidate is expected to pursue research in the Stars and Planetary Systems field, and to provide support to our participation in planet search and characterization projects (namely CHEOPS/ESA, ESPRESSO/ESO, NIRPS/ESO, HIRES/ESO (E-ELT), and SPIROU/CFHT). The sucessful candidate is in particular expected to pursue research to improve the current methodologies for the characterization of low mass stars (M stars) and respective planets throught the analysis of NIR hight resolution spectroscopy.

Application:

The application, to be submitted through the web form below, should include the following information:

- Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation;

- Curriculum Vitae (up to 4 pages in 10pt size format at minimum), and a list of the grades for the taken classes and a scan of the MSc degree diploma;

- Name and contact details (position, email, address) of two referees, available to provide information about the candidate (to be contacted if considered necessary to clarify the information provided in the remaining documents).

Applications will be accepted from the 12th of May to 15th of June, 2017.

Selection criteria and evaluation:

The applicant must have completed a MSc degree. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, or other relevant domains, will be considered.

The curricular evaluation of the candidates will be done based on:

- Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation (10%);
- CV, including degrees, marks and contents of curricular units completed (50%);
- Relevance and adequacy of previous research experience and research plan to the priorities of the team and of IA (40%).

An ordered list of candidates will be defined by the selection committee based on the submitted documents and the criteria mentioned above. An interview may be requested to the candidates during the process of the evaluation. Reference letters may also be asked to the external referees and will be taken into account.

Awarding of the contract:

Following the evaluation process the contracts will be offered according to the ordering list proposed by the selection committee.

The positions will be granted only if suitable candidates are found. Only candidates with a minimum grade of 60% will be accepted.

The selected candidates will be notified by e-mail.

For inquires please contact Dr. Sérgio Sousa.

Selection Committee:
Sérgio Sousa (chair)
Nuno Santos
Elisa Delgado-Mena
José Afonso
João Lima

Publication Date:
26th April 2017

The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.