Postdoctoral fellowships in the field of stars and star formation

Ref: IA2018-04-BPD

The Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) opens a call for up to 2 postdoctoral fellowships (Bolsas de Pós-Doutoramento) 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 the FCT through national funds and co-funded by FEDER through COMPETE2020 (refª POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007672).

The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) is the most proeminent research unit in the field of Astrophysics in Portugal, integrating researchers from the University of Porto and the University of Lisbon, and is responsible for a major 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 positions, with a maximum duration of 6 months, must be renewed after 3 months based on a short report of the ongoing and work done. The call is open in the fields of stars and star formation, and the fellowships are to be started form the 1st of May 2018 and before the end of June 2018. Candidates will be supported by IA in order to apply to FCT Researcher contracts.

The fellowship contract will comply with the ''Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação da FCT'' in force and ''Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação''.

According to the FCT table values (http:www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores), the monthly allowance will be €1495 (tax free) and will be paid monthly by bank transfer. The fellowships holders will have a personal accident insurance. Funds for traveling (conferences, collaborations, observing missions) are also available. The work plan 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:

- 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 -- Development and implementation of seismic probes of stellar physics; Theoretical and observational determination of the role of mixing, magnetic fields, rotation or stellar activity in main-sequence evolution;

- Evolution in and beyond the main-sequence -- seismic characterization of main-sequence and sub-giants; Improving the age determination of low mass stars with models and observations.

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), together with a complete list of scientific publications and a brief description (up to 3 lines) of the candidate's contribution to her/his main publications;
- 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 30th of March to 15th of April, 2018.

Selection criteria and evaluation
The curricular evaluation of the candidates will be done based on:
- cover letter (20%);
- CV, including degrees completed (50%);
- relevance and success/impact of previous research experience (30%).

The applicant must be holder of a PhD degree before the start of the fellowship. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy will be considered.

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 (with a minimum of 60% in the evaluation). The selected candidates will be notified by e-mail.

For inquires please contact Dr. Mário João Monteiro or any of the senior researchers of the Thematic Line on Stars.

Selection Committee
Mário João Monteiro (chair)
Margarida Cunha
Jorge Filipe Gameiro
João Lima
José Afonso

Publication Date
15th March 2018

The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.