Research fellowship position in the field of stars and stellar populations

Ref: IA2018-37-BIM

The Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) opens a call for one 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 of 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 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) (refª POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016880).

The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) is the reference institution for this area in Portugal, integrating researchers form 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 fellowship has to start 1st of February 2019 at latest and the position will last until the end of the project (which ends on the 30 of June 2019).

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 within IA, in Porto, under the supervision of a member from the ''Origin and Evolution of Stars and Planets'' Research Group.

Research work plan
The successful candidate is expected to pursue research related to stellar spectroscopy of young stars and to provide additional support to our participation in the Gaia-ESO survey. In particular, the selected candidate will work on telluric correction of the visible spectra of young stars. 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 and single line spacing at minimum), and a list of course grades, as well as 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 4th to 17th December, 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 curricular evaluation of the candidates will be done based on:

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

An ordered list of candidates will be defined by the selection committee based on the submitted documents and the criteria mentioned above. Reference letters may also be asked to the external referees and will be taken into account.

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)
Elisa Delgado Mena
Jorge Filipe Gameiro
Sérgio Sousa (alternate)

Publication Date
19th of November 2018

The period for application submission has ended for this opportunity.