1 Research Fellowship in the field of Exoplanets

Ref: IA2022-09-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 Exoplanets 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 position is offered in the context of the project “Stellar Activity Modelling for exoplanet detection (SAM)” funded by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (reference EXPL/FIS-AST/0615/2021), under the following conditions:

1.- Scientific area: Astronomy and Astrophysics.

2.- Requirements for admission: The applicant must have completed a MSc degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics 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 domain, will be considered.

3.- Additional skills and qualifications: Experience in the analysis of spectroscopic or photometric data within exoplanet search programs will be positively valued. Knowledge of data analysis techniques such as Gaussian processes will be valued, as well as a good knowledge of the Python or C/C++ programming languages.

4.- Work plan: When searching for exoplanets with the radial-velocity (RV) technique, it is necessary to model the contamination from stellar activity and to account for all sources of uncertainty in the estimates for the model parameters. This is typically done within a Bayesian statistical framework, using algorithms such as MCMC. This project aims at extending a software package (kima, Faria+2018) for RV analysis with new models of stellar activity, like Gaussian processes and physically-motivated numerical simulations of the stellar surfaces. The new developments will then be applied to observational data from high-precision spectrographs. In particular, the successful candidate will select a sample of targets from the ESPRESSO blind search and transit follow-up programs. The RV observations (and available photometry) of these stars will be analysed in order to detect low-mass, Earth-like planets.

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 € 1 144,64 (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 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 members of the project.

8.- Fellowship duration: The fellowship should start in June 2022 and has a duration of 12 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.) MSc 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 of honour signed 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 6 until the 19 May 2022.

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

   a.) (20%) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and    
        motivation.
   b.) (50%) 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:
João Faria (Chair)
Pedro Viana
Ângela Santos
Susana Barros (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 of the final rankings by e-mail.

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
5 May 2022

The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.