Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço

1 (One) Research Fellowship in the field of Computational Cosmology

Ref: IA2023-04-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 Computational Cosmology 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 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. Research and science communication at IA include topics and instrumentation at the forefront of research in Astronomy/Astrophysics and Space Sciences.

The position is offered in the context of the project “Phi in the Sky: Astrophysical Probes of Fundamental Physics” funded by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (reference 2022.04048.PTDC), under the following conditions:

1.- Scientific area: Astronomy and Astrophysics.

2.- Requirements for admission: The applicants must have completed a Master’s degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics, Physics/Physics Engineering Computer Science or a related discipline, or be able to complete it by 31 July 2023. They must also comply with the requirements to be enrolled in a PhD Program at U.Porto at the time of the start of the fellowship, on 1 October 2023. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in these domains will be considered.

3.- Additional skills and qualifications: The candidates must have an interest and demonstrated relevant previous experience in computational physics and/or in data analysis and visualization. Experience of parallel programming, especially involving GPUs, is also highly beneficial and will be positively evaluated.

4.- Contracting requirements:Presentation of the following documents by the time of signing the fellowship agreement:

- Diplomas of the completed academic degrees.

- Proof of enrolment in a PhD program at U. Porto (PDA or MAP-fis).

5.- Work plan: The candidate will contribute to Task 4 of the Phi in the Sky Project. The
goals are:

- To carry out the world's largest (8192^3 or larger) field theory simulations of superconducting strings and cosmic superstrings, using extensions of the team's GPUaccelerated code, and complementary AMR string simulations.

- To use simulation diagnostics to obtain, through a full MCMC based analysis, a rigorous calibration of VOS-type analytic models.

- To use the simulations and calibrated models to obtain reliable predictions for the CMB and Gravitational Wave signatures of these networks.

6.- Legal framework: The fellowship contract will comply with:

- Law n.º 123/2019, of 28th August 2019 - ''Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação'' (Research Grant Holder Statute) in force [https://dre.pt/dre/legislacao-consolidada/lei/2004-58216179]

- Regulation n.º 950/2019, of 16th December 2019 - ''Regulamento de Bolsas e Investigação da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia'' (Regulation of Fellowship of Research) in force [https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf]

- "CAUP's Fellowship Regulation" (available at www.astro.up.pt/documentos/CAUPRegulamentoBolsas.pdf).

The fellow's functions are carried out under a scheme of exclusive dedication, in accordance with the terms established in the article 5 of Research Grant Holder Statute (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação).

7.- Monthly allowance: According to the FCT table values [https://former.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores.phtml.en], the monthly allowance will be €1144.64 (tax free) and will be paid monthly by bank transfer. Additional funds for travel (conferences, observing missions, and work visits) will also be available. PhD program fees are not covered.

Fellows have a personal accident insurance. They can also 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, as stipulated in article 10 of the Research Grant Holder Statute (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação).

8.- 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 Carlos Martins and other relevant members of the Phi in the Sky project team.

9.- Fellowship duration: The fellowship is expected to start on 1 October 2023 and has a minimum duration of 6 months. Depending on positive performance, it can be renewed for equal periods until the end of the Phi in the Sky project (currently foreseen to be December 2025).

The renewal is subject to a positive evaluation of the research plan within the doctoral
program, and the demonstration of enrolment in the study cycle leading to the PhD degree.

10.- 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 corresponding marks.

d.) Undergraduate and Master’s degree diploma or certificate.

e.) Name and contact details (position, email, address) of two referees, who will send reference letters to Carlos.Martins@astro.up.pt by the call deadline.

The documents demonstrating enrolment in a PhD program and the Master degree can be skipped during the application period and replaced by a signed declaration of honour. 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 higher education institution outside of Portugal, that degree must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law n.º 66/2018 of 16th August 2018 (approves the legal regime for the recognition of foreign higher academic degrees) and Ministerial Order n.º 33/2019 of 25th January 2019, 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.

11.- Deadline: This call for applications will remain open from 17 February 2023 until 30
April 2023.

12.- Selection criteria and evaluation: The evaluation of the applications will be performed
based on:

a.) (10%) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation.

b.) (30%) CV, considering the degrees and previous academic training, including the marks of the completed curricular units and the relevance of that training to the topic of the call.

c.) (20%) Reference letters, confirming the candidate’s training, expertise, and motivation.

d.) (20%) Previous research and specific relevant expertise, as described in article 3 of this call, assessed from the CV and reference letters.

e.) (20%) Interview, validating and complementing the information provided in the application.

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. The first 5 candidates, ranked according to the criteria a)-d) will be selected for the interview, which will be held via Zoom.

13.- Selection Committee:
Carlos Martins (Chair)
José Ricardo Correia
Amelia Drew
J. Paulo Maurício Carvalho (alternate)

14.- Awarding of the contract: Following the evaluation process, the fellowship will be offered according to the ordered 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 final classifications and the selection meeting minutes enclosed.

15.- Time limits for the appeal procedure: Candidates have 10 working days, after the date of announcement of the results, to pronounce on the decision (through e-mail, to be sent to jobs@iastro.pt and to the Chair of the Selection Committee – Carlos.Martins@astro.up.pt). 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.

16.- 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, namely, due to ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, civil status, family situation, economic situation, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnicity or race, country or territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union affiliation.

Publication date
16 February 2023

The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.