Research fellowship in the field of Planetary Systems

Ref: IA2021-26-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 planetary systems 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 University 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 offered in the context of the project “Exploring exoPlanets wIth CHEOPS (EPIC)” funded by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) (reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028953), and by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (reference PTDC/FIS-AST/28953/2017), under the following conditions:

1.- Scientific Area: Astronomy and Astrophysics

2.- Requirements for admission:
The applicant must have completed a MSc degree and be enrolled in a PhD Program or in a university course not leading to an academic degree at the time of the starting of the grant. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, or other relevant domains, will be considered.

3.- Additional optional skills and qualifications: Previous experience in the characterization of exoplanets.

4.- Work plan:
IA is strongly contributing to ESA’s CHEOPS mission, in operation since its launch in December 2019. Part of this contribution is related to the detection and characterization of planetary systems which will be targeted by CHEOPS. Our group works on different scientific aspects of this mission, including the spectroscopic characterization of planet-host stars and the detailed analysis of the CHEOPS light curves, in order to extract information such as planetary fundamental parameters, or the study of phase curves to infer proprieties of the planet’s atmosphere. The work plan of the fellowship will be directly related with IA’s contribution to CHEOPS, namely dedicated to improving estimates of mass and radius improvement to better characterize small planets, using simultaneous analysis of transit observations and radial velocity measurements which ultimately allows to derive the planet’s composition. The mitigation of stellar activity is also needed for the observations of transiting planets. Therefore preference is given to candidates with experience in these characterization 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 holder 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 CAUP (in the Porto node of the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço), Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762, under the scientific supervision of Dr. Susana Barros.

8.- Fellowship duration: The fellowship is expected to start in the beginning of January 2022. The position has a maximum duration of 5 months (cannot be extended beyond the end of the project 2022/05/31).

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 honor from the applicant. Their delivery is mandatory at the time of signing the contract.

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 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 December 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.) (40%) 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.) (50%) Relevance and adequacy of previous research experience to the work plan, the priorities of the project, the team, and of IA.

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:
Sérgio Sousa (chair)
Susana Barros
Nuno Santos
Vardan Adibekyan (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 negative decision, the candidates have 10 working days, after the date of announcement of the results of the candidates’ evaluation, to pronounce their disagreement using the e-mail jobs@iastro.pt and the president of the jury. 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 december 2021

The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.