Research fellowship position in the field of planetary systemsRef: IA2018-09-BIM
The Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (
CAUP) opens a call for
1 research fellowship (Bolsas de Investigação - Mestre) in the field of Planetary Systems 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) 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 field of Planetary Systems, and the fellowship is to be
started preferably in July and cannot be extended beyond December 31st, 2018.
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. 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, in Porto, under the supervision of Dr. Pedro Viana e Dr. Nuno Santos.
Research work plan:
This fellowship focuses on the development of methodologies that will allow us to take into account any stellar activity signals that may be present in radial velocity time series obtained in the context of exoplanet search projects. Real and mock observational data will be used to test the methodologies. These will be used in the analysis of data obtained with existing spectrographs, such as HARPS, and the recently commissioned ESPRESSO.
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 taken classes 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 (these will be contacted at the jury's discretion).
Applications will be accepted from the 8th to 21st of June, 2018.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 candidate is expected to pursue research on the impact of stellar activity on the derivation of precise radial velocities. Preference will be given to:
1- candidates with demonstrated experience on the field of radial velocity time series analysis, and if possible on activity characterization and correction algorithms,
2.- with a sound mathematical/statistical background.
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. All candidates fulfilling the selection criteria will be considered for a shortlist, and will be required to attend an interview for the second stage of the evaluation. Reference letters may also be asked to the aforementioned referees and will be taken into account in the evaluation process.
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 70% will be accepted.
The selected candidates will be notified by e-mail.
For inquires please contact
Dr. Nuno Santos.
Selection Committee:
Nuno Santos (chair)
Pedro VianaJoão LimaPublication Date:23rd May 2018
The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.
