3 Research Fellowships in the field of Stellar Astrophysics

Ref: IA2022-06-BI-M

The Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) opens a call for 3 Research Fellowships in the field of Stellar Astrophysics at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA).

The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço is the most prominent Research Unit in the field of Astronomy/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 field. The research and development effort at 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 positions are opened in the context of the activities conducted by the IA Research Group "Towards a comprehensive study of stars", financed by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) under project UIDB/04434/2020, according to the following conditions:

1.- Scientific area: Astronomy and Astrophysics.

2.- Requirements for admission: The applicant must have completed a BSc degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics or a related discipline, and be enrolled in the MSc 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 domain, will be considered.

3.- Additional skills and qualifications: Basic knowledge in programming (preferably in Pyhton) will be seen favourably.

4.- Work plan: We aim at filling a position in each of the following thematic lines (or combinations thereof): (i) Star Formation or Stellar Populations, (ii) Stellar Physics, and (iii) The Sun and the Heliosphere.

   (i) Research Fellowship on Star Formation or Stellar Populations: Possible topics include star formation in the context of the large Galactic scale, the study of the evolution of individual pre-main-sequence stars and their circumstellar disks, or the emerging topic of Galactic archaeology.

   (ii) Research Fellowship on Stellar Physics: Possible topics include the development and application of seismic inference tools aimed at understanding the physical processes that take place inside stars, or the study of rotation and magnetic activity in stars.

   (iii) Research Fellowship on The Sun and the Heliosphere: Possible topics include the study of the solar atmosphere, or the study of the influence of solar activity on the heliosphere and the Earth's atmosphere (also known as space weather).

5.- Legislation framework:
The fellowship contract will comply with Lei n.º 123/2019 de 28 de Agosto - ''Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação'' in force [https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/estatutobolseiro], Regulamento n.º 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's Fellowship Regulation (available at www.astro.up.pt/documentos/CAUP-RegulamentoBolsas.pdf).

The fellowship holder's 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 € 875.98 (tax free) and will be paid monthly by bank transfer.

The fellowship holder will have a personal accident insurance, and can exercise the right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme, if not covered by any other social protection scheme, under the terms of the Código dos Regimes Contributivos do Sistema Previdencial de Segurança Social.

7.- Place of work: The work will be conducted at Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço under the scientific supervision of one or more members of the Research Group.

8.- Fellowship duration: The fellowship should preferably start in September 2022 and has a duration of 6 months.

9.- Application: The application, to be submitted through the web form indicated below, 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 path and research experience (up to 4 pages with at least
        10pt font size).
   c.) List of completed curricular units with the respective marks.
   d.) BSc degree diploma or certificate.
   e.) Name and contact details (position, email, address) of two referees, who will be available to provide
        information about the candidate (these will be contacted at the Selection Committee's discretion).

The documents that prove the entitlement of the academic qualifications or diplomas, or the proof of registration in the academic degree or course, can be dismissed during the application period and replaced by a declaration on honour by the applicant. If not provided during the application process, these documents must nevertheless be submitted before the signing of the contract.

In the event that the degree was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, that degree must comply with the provisions of Decreto-Lei n.º 66/2018 of 16th August (approves the legal regime for the recognition of foreign higher academic degrees) and Portaria n.º 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. They can also check information on the website of the University of Porto: https://sigarra.up.pt/up/en/WEB_BASE.GERA_PAGINA?p_pagina=1005819.

10.- Deadline: This call for applications will remain open from the 15th of February until the 15th of March 2022.

11.- Selection criteria and evaluation: The evaluation of the candidates will be performed based on:

   a.) (10%) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation.
   b.) (60%) CV, considering the degree and previous academic training, including marks and contents of
        completed curricular units and the relevance of that training to the topic of the call.
   c.) (30%) Relevance of previous research experience.

An ordered list of candidates will be defined by the Selection Committee based on the submitted documents and the criteria mentioned above. Only those candidates who have submitted all requested documents will be admitted and subsequently evaluated. If deemed necessary, the designated referees may be asked to provide reference letters, which will be taken into account in the evaluation process.

12.- Selection Committee:
Tiago Campante (Chair)
Elisa Delgado Mena
Teresa Barata
João Faria (Alternate)

13.- Awarding of the contract:
Following the evaluation process, the fellowships will be offered according to the ordered list proposed by the Selection Committee. More specifically, the top-ranked applicant will be asked to choose a research project from the list of available projects (no restrictions apply regarding the thematic line). The second-ranked applicant will then be asked to choose a project falling under one of the two remaining thematic lines. Finally, the third-ranked candidate will be asked to choose a project from the remaining thematic line.
The positions will be granted only if suitable candidates are identified. Only candidates with a minimum grade of 70% will be considered eligible. Candidates will be notified by e-mail, to be sent by the Chair of the Selection Committee, with the minutes of the meetings of the Selection Committee in attachment.

14.- Time limits for the appeal procedure:
In case of a negative decision, candidates have 10 working days, after the date of announcement of the results of the candidates' evaluation, to communicate their disagreement (via e-mail, to be sent to jobs@iastro.pt and to the Chair of the Selection Committee). 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 may be privileged, benefitted, undermined 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
14 of February 2022

The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.