Research fellowship in the field of Extragalactic Astronomy

Ref: IA2021-20-BI-D

The Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) opens a call for one research fellowship in the field of galaxy formation and evolution at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA).

The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) is the most prominent research unit in the field of Astrophysics in Portugal, integrating researchers from the Universities of Porto,  Lisbon and Coimbra, and is responsible for a major fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in this area. The research and development effort at the IA include 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 position is opened in the context of research activities conducted by the IA Group "The assembly history of galaxies resolved in space and time", financed by national funds by FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) under the project UIDB/04434/2020, under the following conditions:

1.- Scientific Area: Astronomy and Astrophysics

2.- Requirements for admission:
The applicant must have completed a MSc degree in Astronomy or a related discipline, and be enrolled in the PhD Program of a University in Portugal at the time of the start of the fellowship. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, or other relevant domains, will be considered.

Additionally, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:
– Significant programming experience in a scientific or data-science area;
– Knowledge of the Python language, including packages such as Numpy, Pandas, and Scikit-Learn;
– Experience of working with broad band photometry.

3.- Additional optional skills and qualifications:
Experience in the analysis of optical or near-IR spectra is considered beneficial for the position and will count positively in the evaluation.

4.- Work plan:
The student will develop and apply advanced machine learning methods to the problems of galaxy classification and physical property determination, using multiwavelength photometry in addition to imaging and spectroscopic data, in the context preparation for the upcoming launch of ESA's Euclid Space Telescope. This will involve overcoming a number of technical challenges, and will likely involve extensive use of meta-learning and few-shot learning, in addition to traditional and deep-learning methods.

5.- Legislation framework:
The fellowship contract will comply with Lei nº 123/2019 de 28 de Agosto - ''Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação'' in force [https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/estatutobolseiro] and Regulamento nº 950/2019 de 16 de Dezembro de 2019 - ''Regulamento de Bolsas e Investigação da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia'' in force [https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamento.phtml.pt], and CAUP Fellowship Regulation (available at www.astro.up.pt/documentos/CAUP-RegulamentoBolsas.pdf).

The fellowship holders' functions are carried out under a scheme of exclusive dedication, in accordance with the terms established in the Research Fellowship Holder's Statute (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação). For more information, see in particular article 5 - Performing Duties [https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/estatutobolseiro].

6.- Monthly allowance:
According to the FCT table values [http://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores], the monthly allowance will be €1.104,64 (tax free) and will be paid monthly by bank transfer.

The fellowship holders will have a personal accident insurance, and can ensure the right to social security through adherence to the voluntary social insurance scheme, if not covered by any other social protection scheme, pursuant to Código dos Regimes Contributivos do Sistema Previdencial de Segurança Social.

Funds for traveling (conferences, collaborations, observing missions) are also available.

7.- Place of work: The work will be developed at Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP), Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762, under the scientific supervision of Dr. Andrew Humphrey.

8.- Fellowship duration: The fellowship should start on October 2021 and has a duration of 3 months. It may be extended if deemed necessary.

9.- Application:
The application must be submitted through the web form indicated below, and it must include the following information:

a.) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation;
b.) Curriculum Vitae describing the academic curriculum and research experience (up to 4 pages with at least 10pt font size) and a separate list of the completed curricular units with the respective marks;
c.) MSc degree diploma or certificate;
d.) Name and contact details (position, email, address) of two referees, available to provide information about the candidate (these will be contacted at the jury's discretion).

The documents that prove the entitlement of the academic qualifications and diplomas, or the proof of registration in the academic degree or diploma, can be dismissed during the application period and replaced by a declaration of honour from the applicant. If they were not provided at the time of submission, these documents must be submitted before the signing of the contract. Their delivery is mandatory during the fellowship contractualization.

In the event that the degree was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, that degree must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law no. 66/2018 of 16th August (approves the legal regime for the recognition of foreign higher academic degrees) and Portaria nº 33/2019 of 25th january, and all formalities established therein must be complied with up to the date of hiring.

Applicants are advised to check the website of the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES) for further information: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en/pagina/degree-and-diploma-recognition. Also can check information on the website of University of Porto: https://sigarra.up.pt/up/en/WEB_BASE.GERA_PAGINA?p_pagina=1005819.

10.- Deadlines: This call for applications is open from 10 to 23 september 2021.

11.- Selection criteria and evaluation:
The curricular evaluation of the candidates will be done based on:
a.) (10%) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation;
b.) (50%) CV, considering the degree and the previous academic training, including outcomes and contents of completed curricular units and the relevance of that training for the topic;
c.) (40%) Relevance and adequacy of previous research experience to the work plan.

An ordered list of candidates will be defined by the selection committee based on the submitted documents and the criteria mentioned above. If judged necessary, reference letters may also be asked to the aforementioned referees and will be taken into account in the evaluation process.

12.- Selection Committee:
Andrew Humphrey (Chair)
Israel Matute
Polychronis Papaderos
Cirino Pappalardo (alternate)

13.- Awarding of the contract:
Following the evaluation process, the fellowship will be offered according to the ordering list proposed by the selection committee. The position will be granted only if suitable candidates are identified. Only candidates with a minimum grade of 70% will be accepted. All the candidates will be notified by e-mail, sent by the call holder, with the selection meeting minutes enclosed.

14.- Time limits for the appeal procedure:
In case of a negative decision, the candidates have 10 working days, after the date of announcement of the results of the candidates’ evaluation, to pronounce their disagreement. Appeals against the final decision may be submitted to the Executive Board of CAUP (direcao@astro.up.pt) within 15 working days after the notification date.

15. - Non-discrimination and equal access:
CAUP promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, thus no applicant candidate may be privileged, benefited, damaged or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty. This includes ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnicity or race, land of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union affiliation.

Publication date
9 september 2021

The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.