Research scholarship position (for PhD students) in the field of stars and star formationRef: IA2016-14-BI
The Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (
CAUP) opens a call for
1 research fellowship (Bolsa de Investigação - Mestre) in the field of stars and star formation at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA).
The position is offered in the context of the project FIS/04434 with financial support provided by
FCT through national funds and by FEDER through COMPETE2020 and PT2020 agreement (refª POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007672).
The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) assembles more than two-thirds of all active researchers working in Astrophysics in Portugal, and is responsible for an even greater fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in this area. The research and development effort at the IA includes most of the topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Excellent candidates wiling to pursue a research work plan in a topic close to the ones listed below, are invited to apply.
The position has a maximum
duration of 1 year. The call is open in the fields of stars and star formation, and the fellowship is to start, preferably,
from the 1st of December 2016.
The fellowship contract will comply with the 'Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação'' da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia existing (
http://fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/RegulamentoBolsasFCT.pdf) and '
Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação'. According to the FCT table values (
http:www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores), the monthly allowance will be €980 (tax free). The fellowship will be paid monthly by bank transfer. Funds for traveling (conferences, collaborations, observing missions) may also be available. The work is to be carried out in IA, either in Porto or Lisbon offices, under the supervision (or co-supervision) of an
IA researcher.
Research work plan:The successful candidates are expected to pursue research on topics relevant to the long-term strategy of IA in the thematic line '
Towards a Comprehensive Study of Stars', including topics on:
- Physical characterization of the physics in star forming regions; Study of populations of proto and young stars; Early evolution towards the main-sequence - characterization and modelling of disks and winds; Observational characterization and theoretical modelling of very low mass stars;
- Main sequence stars - the physics and observational characterization of stars with and without planets; Development and implementation of seismic probes of stellar physics; Theoretical and observational determination of the role mixing, magnetic fields, rotation or stellar activity in main-sequence evolution;
- Evolution beyond the main sequence - seismic and spectroscopic characterization of sub-giants and red-giants; Improving the age determination of low mass stars with models and observations; Global parameters and seismic characterization of stellar populations (including clusters and/galactic groups).
The fellows will be required to enroll on a PhD program at the IA host Universities, either University of Porto or University of Lisbon. Students enrolled in other Universities (national or abroad) will also be accepted, if they come to IA to work under the co-supervision of a team member.
Application:The application, to be submitted through the web form below, should include the following information:
- Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation. Confirmation that the student is enrolled in a PhD must be attached. For students enrolled in an external University, a preliminary work plan must be provided (a possible supervisor at IA can be indicated). The candidate must also state that she/he will not receive any other salary in the period of the fellowship in IA.
- Curriculum Vitae (up to 4 pages) including, if available, a complete list of scientific publications with a brief description (up to 3 lines) of the candidate's contribution to each publication.
- A complete list of curricular units (for University level courses - undergraduate and graduate) completed before the start of the fellowship, and respective grades.
- Name and contact details (position, email, address) of two referees, available to provide information about the candidate (to be contacted if considered necessary to clarify the information provided in the remaining documents).
Applications will be accepted from the 27th of October to 10th of November 2016.Selection criteria and evaluation:The curricular evaluation of the candidates will be done based on:
- Cover letter (10%);
- CV, including degrees, marks and contents of curricular units completed (60%);
- Relevance and success of previous research experience (30%).
The applicant must have completed a master degree before the start of the fellowship (submission of the dissertation must be done before the deadline of the call) before the start of the fellowship. Only candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, or other relevant domains, will be considered.
A short-list of candidates will be defined in the first stage of the evaluation based on the submitted documents and the criteria mentioned above (with a mark above 50%). The short-listed applicants will be required to attend an interview for the second stage of the evaluation (by videoconference, if needed).
The selected candidates will be notified by e-mail.
For enquires please contact
Dr. Mário João Monteiro.
Selection Committee:Mário João MonteiroMargarida CunhaJorge Filipe GameiroJoão LimaJosé AfonsoPublication Date:12th October 2016
The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.
