Research fellowship position (for PhD students) in the field of stars and stellar populations

Ref: IA2017-06-BI

The Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) opens a call for 1 research fellowship (Bolsa de Investigação - Mestre) in the field of Stars and Stellar Populations at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA).

The position is offered in the context of the project "The Gaia-ESO census of the Milk Way: unlocking the secrets os stellar populations" with financial support provided by the FCT through national funds (refª PTDC/FIS-AST/7073/2014) and co-funded by FEDER through COMPETE2020 (refª POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016880).

The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) assembles more than two-thirds of all active researchers working in Space Sciences 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 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 call is open in the fields of Stars and Galactic Stellar Populations, and the fellowship is to be started preferably from the 1st of September 2017. The position can be extended until the end of the project (which ends on the 30 June 2019). It is awarded for 12 months, followed by additional renewal, upon successful evaluation.

The fellowship contract will comply with the ''Lei nº 40/2004 de 18 de Agosto (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação) and ''Regulamento de Bolsas e Investigação da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia'' in force (http://fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/RegulamentoBolsasFCT.pdf).

According to the FCT table values (http:www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores), the monthly allowance will be €980 (tax free) and will be paid monthly by bank transfer. Funds for traveling (conferences, collaborations, observing missions) are also available. The work plan is to be carried out in IA, in Porto, under the supervision of Dr. Vardan Adibekyan and Dr. Sérgio Sousa from the ''Origin and Evaluation of Stars and Planets'' Research Group.

Research work plan:

The successful candidate is expected to pursue research in the field of Stars and Stellar Populations, and to provide support to our participation in the Gaia-ESO survey. The selected candidate will work on the chemical characterization of solar-type stars through optical high and medium resolution spectroscopy. Part of the project is related to the statistical studies of planet formation in different stellar populations.

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;

- Curriculum Vitae (up to 4 pages in 10pt size format at minimum), and a list of the grades for the classes taken during the Master degree and a scan of the MSc degree diploma;

- 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 20th of May to 15th of June, 2017.

Selection criteria and evaluation:

The applicant must have completed a MSc degree. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, or other relevant domains, will be considered.

The curricular evaluation of the candidates will be done based on:

- Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation (10%);
- CV, including degrees, marks and contents of curricular units completed (50%);
- Relevance and adequacy of previous research experience and research plan to the priorities of the team and of IA (40%).

An ordered list of candidates will be defined by the selection committee based on the submitted documents and the criteria mentioned above. The short-listed applicants will be required to attend an interview for the second stage of the evaluation.

Awarding of the contract:

Following the evaluation process the contracts will be offered according to the ordering list proposed by the selection committee.

The positions will be granted only if suitable candidates are found. Only candidates with a minimum grade of 60% will be accepted.

The selected candidates will be notified by e-mail.

For inquires please contact Dr. Vardan Adibekyan.

Selection Committee:
Vardan Adibekyan (chair)
José Afonso
Jorge Filipe Gameiro
João Lima
Nuno Santos
Sérgio Sousa

Publication Date:
4th May 2017

The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.