Queen’s University Belfast
Post-doctoral position in Solar Physics
Start date: ASAP
Funding duration: 20 months
Closing deadline: 07/10/2024

The job is to undertake research in solar physics within the Astrophysics Research Centre of the School of Mathematics and Physics. In the role, the candidate will develop and employ computer algorithms for the analysis of oscillatory and wave signals manifesting in solar observations and/or simulations. With this in mind, they will carry out analyses, critical evaluations, and interpretations of the acquired observational datasets, before presenting regular progress reports on research to members of the research group and to relevant national and international conferences. The fellow will prepare, often in consultation with their supervisor, material for publication and publish the results in the refereed literature. The fellow will also help supervise (as necessary) and support postgraduate and undergraduate students working in this area.

About the person:
The applicant should either be awarded, or have submitted by the time of taking up the post, a PhD in Solar Physics or a closely-related discipline. The candidate should have specific, relevant research experience, including either (i) the development of magneto-hydrodynamic wave theory and/or the modelling of the solar atmosphere, (ii) the reduction, analysis, and interpretation of solar observations from satellite-borne or ground-based instruments, and/or (iii) the development of computer algorithms to detect/isolate/track/quantify small-scale oscillations in the solar atmosphere (photosphere, chromosphere, and/or corona). They should also have experience with computer coding environments, e.g., Python, IDL, and have produced a number of high-quality refereed publications in the research field, commensurate with their stage of career.

To be successful at the shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information, which is available on the QUB job portal:

https://hrwebapp.qub.ac.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=400948OoFi&WVID=6273090Lgx&LANG=USA

Additional information:
Any questions related to the post can be directed to Prof. Dave Jess (d.jess@qub.ac.uk), who will be happy to advise.… continue to the full article

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*** Academic Director, North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST) ***

Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Deadline = 28th October 2024

https://work4.northumbria.ac.uk/#en/sites/CX_1001/job/2762/

The North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST) will house world-leading space experts and unite industry with academia and aims to transform the UK space economy. Northumbria University is creating this £50 million Centre after major funding awards were confirmed from the UK Space Agency and Lockheed Martin Space UK. Located in the heart of Northumbria University’s Newcastle city campus, NESST will be a new national space asset that brings together industry and academia to collaborate on internationally significant space research and technological developments, as well as providing specialist education and training to ensure the UK space sector has the highly-skilled workforce it needs in the future. NESST is expected to directly support the creation of over 350 jobs into the North East economy and inject over £260 million over the next 30 years, playing a critical role in the government’s levelling-up agenda and immediately becoming a catalyst for the wider development of the UK space sector in the North East region.

Working with a team of world-leading space academics, this new role will provide strategic leadership and operational delivery to create a world-leading space skills, research and technology Centre. This will involve leading the strategic and operational performance, delivery and innovation of the Centre including all people, finance, and service delivery plans. You can find out more about our space academics on our space research webpages.

To lead this significant change, challenge and opportunity, we are seeking to appoint an ambitious Academic Director. As a highly credible leading authority in the space sector with widespread recognition, you will have held high-profile roles and will bring demonstrable commercially focused strategic experience from working in large, complex, and dynamic organisations. You will be highly skilled in influencing, advocacy, negotiating and building successful relationships with the space industry and other key partners and a track record of providing vision and leadership to enable delivery.

For informal questions or enquiries please contact Professor John Woodward, Executive lead for NESST at john.woodward@northumbria.ac.uk or Professor James McLaughlin (Head of the Solar and Space Physics research group) at james.a.mclaughlin@northumbria.ac.uk.

Closing date for applications is 28th October 2024. … continue to the full article

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ESA Research Fellowships in Space Science

We are pleased to inform you about the opening of the call for theEuropean Space Agency’s Research Fellowships in Space Science. The call is expected to open on 26 August 2024 with an application deadline on 16 September 2024.

ESA’s postdoctoral Research Fellowship programme offers early-career scientists and engineers the possibility to carry out research in a variety of disciplines related to space science, space applications or space technology. Research Fellowships in Space Science specifically offer the opportunity to contribute to ESA’s endeavour to explore our Solar System and the Universe, and cover the fields of heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics and fundamental physics.

The research fellowships offer unique insights into ESA’s environment and activities while conducting cutting-edge research. Mentoring and training opportunities are available, as are possibilities to engage with ESA science-related activities (e.g., archives, data science and machine learning, operations, calibration, communication, citizen science).

Within the Science Directorate (SCI), we welcome all independent proposals for innovative research associated with one or more of our missions. The Space Science fellowships can be taken up at any of the three sites ESAC (Spain), ESTEC (Netherlands) or STScI (USA) and we encourage applicants to choose sites that allow for best local collaborations. To learn more about the research conducted by the ESA scientists at different sites, please visit the Faculty Member Directory and the pages for the Faculty research groups. There is a separate page for research at the ESA Office at STScI (see also the research of non-ESA scientists at STScI).

Duration

Appointments are for a maximum of three years. The initial project is for two years. An extension for a third year requires a dedicated proposal and is frequently granted.

Who can apply

Applicants should have recently completed or be close to completing their PhD in a scientific or technical discipline. Preference will be given to candidates with up to five years of relevant experience after their PhD.

Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus as European Cooperating States (ECS).

According to the ESA Convention, the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to candidates from under-represented Member States.

More information on the Research Fellowship programme and on how to apply can be found at https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/space-science-faculty/opportunities/research-fellowships

The expected deadline for applications is 16 September 2024. Applicants are strongly encouraged to check the ESA vacancy website (https://career2.successfactors.eu/career?company=esa) once the call has been formally opened.… continue to the full article

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The Institute for Solar Physics (KIS), Freiburg, Germany, invites applications for positions for post-doctoral scientists.

KIS is a foundation under public law of the state of Baden-Württemberg. Its mission is to conduct fun-damental astrophysical research with a focus on solar physics. Current research focuses on solar mag-netism, solar-stellar connection, and instruments, techniques and data. KIS operates the German solar telescopes Gregor and VTT at the Teide Observatory on Tenerife, Spain, and contributes advanced instrumentation to DKIST, Sunrise, and Solar Orbiter. KIS provides access to new and existing data of these excellent facilities. Further information can be found on the institute’s website: https://www.leibniz-kis.de/en/job-offers/.

Tasks of the successful candidates include:

• Carrying out scientific research using highest resolution spectro-polarimetric observations with Gregor, Sunrise, Solar Orbiter, and DKIST analysing the magnetism of the photosphere and chro-mosphere of the sun by means of inversion techniques.
• Dissemination of results at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed papers.
• Support the operation and maintenance of the facilities as applicable.
• Implementation and managing own projects, including applying for third-party funding.

Qualifications:
Applicants should have a PhD in Physics or Astrophysics and experience in the analysis of ground-based and/or space-based spectro-polarimetric data diagnosing photosphere and chromosphere. The ideal candidate will have a clear research plan that complements the research activities at KIS.

Our offer:
The position is located in Freiburg, Germany. The appointment will be initially for a postdoc position until 31.12.2026. The salary and benefits are according to the rules for government employees of the State of Baden-Württemberg (TV-L) and German law.

Equal opportunity environment is important to us, and we welcome applicants from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in astronomy. We will be particularly pleased to receive applications from women. The KIS strives to promote the compatibility of work and family, flexible, family-friendly working hours and contributes to the costs of childcare.

The application should include a motivation letter, CV, list of publications, research statement (maxi-mum 2 pages) and names and contact details for 2 references.
Application deadline: 31 August 2024.

Applications using the reference “Solar Magnetism” should be sent as a single pdf file to email: hr@leibniz-kis.de, or in written form to: Institut für Sonnenphysik (KIS), Georges-Köhler-Allee 401A, D-79110 Freiburg, Germany… continue to the full article

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Solar Orbiter is ESA’s leading deep space solar observatory, orbiting the Sun in a highly elliptical orbit with a perihelion below 0.3 au. One of the cornerstone instruments onboard Solar Orbiter is the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI). Operating since 2020, EUI consists of 3 telescopes imaging the solar corona at the highest spatial resolution and largest field of view ever. As a consequence, the scientific return of EUI has been spectacular so far. A significant fraction of the nominal lifetime of EUI (which is about 10 years) has passed and continuous monitoring of health and performance of the EUI telescopes and their CMOS imaging sensors becomes increasingly important. For example, the long-term degradation of the EUI sensors under EUV light is being assessed as we go.

In order to continue ensuring these ongoing EUI calibration activities, the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) is seeking to hire a EUI calibration scientist. The selected candidate will work within the EUI PI team at ROB, which is a small team (4 people) within the bigger solar physics group (SIDC, Solar Influences Data analysis Centre) at ROB of about 50 people from a diverse background. The selected candidate will interact frequently with the international EUI consortium outside ROB and with related projects and researchers within ROB/SIDC. For further details about the position, please visit https://www.astro.oma.be/en/information/jobs/. Applications should be sent to David Berghmans (david.berghmans@oma.be), Cis Verbeeck (cis.verbeeck@oma.be) and dir-rob@oma.be no later than September 20, 2024.… continue to the full article

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IRAP (Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology) in Toulouse, France, is hiring a postdoctoral researcher for a duration of two years to work on Solar Energetic Particles.

The position is funded through the Horizon Europe project SPEARHEAD (SPEcification, Analysis & Re-calibration of High Energy pArticle Data, https://spearhead-he.eu/ ), that aims at better understanding the origin of high-energy particle and electromagnetic radiation from the Sun. Key questions of interest to the project are: How are protons accelerated beyond 100 MeV and electrons beyond 1 MeV during solar eruptions? What are the release times and spectral characteristics of near-relativistic particles from solar eruptions? How do coronal and interplanetary structures and turbulence affect the acceleration and transport of very high energetic particles? To address these questions, the SPEARHEAD consortium combines eight European partners possessing key resources (in terms of data, models and infrastructure) in high-energy particle research. The project plan is to deliver consolidated datasets, methodology and open access tools to the community enabling breakthrough science on these open problems. The project is led by the National Observatory of Athens and is organized in 8 work packages, IRAP coordinates the work package on the solar context for each solar energetic particle event. The IRAP part of the project is led by Alexis Rouillard, CNRS researcher at IRAP, in collaboration with the local heliophysics team (V. Reville, I. Plotnikov, P. Louarn, B. Lavraud, V. Genot).

The postdoc will work on the analysis of solar flares and CMEs using recent Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe data, modelling the expansion of CMEs and the associated energetic particles from the corona to the interplanetary medium. The postdoc will also liaise with the consortium exchanging information with the other European teams that are focusing on particle data recalibration and performing cross-calibration of datasets recorded in space and by ground-based neutron monitors.

The candidates shall possess a PhD in astrophysics, plasma physics or related field. We look for motivated, curious and physics driven candidates. Experience in numerical simulation of the solar corona/solar wind and/or energetic particle transport is a plus but not necessary. Applicants shall send an e-mail with a CV, publication list and references (at least two) to arouillard@irap.omp.eu.

The position will remain open until filled, with priority for applications received before 6th of September 2024.… continue to the full article

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The Royal Observatory of Belgium is seeking a new scientific collaborator to enhance and support its space weather services.

The successful candidate will play a key role in the development and provision of space weather services, with a focus on the ESA S2P projects (https://swe.ssa.esa.int). Responsibilities will include operational surveillance and forecasting of space weather, including on-call operations and shift work, as well as contributing to the advancement of these forecasting activities. The collaborator will be part of the ROB/SIDC (Solar Influences Data Analysis Centre, https://www.sidc.be), a leading space weather forecast center at the European level.

For application details: Job Description (https://www.astro.oma.be/common/pdf/jobs/202406-SpaceWeatherCollaborator_EN.pdf)

Application deadline: September 01, 2024… continue to the full article

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There is a PhD position available at the Institute for Solar Physics (KIS) in Freiburg, Germany, within the department of Solar Magnetism. The PhD candidate will work together with Dr. Juan Manuel Borrero and Dr. Ivan Milic on the characterization of the photospheric and chromospheric magnetic field in and around active regions. This will be done by applying Stokes inversion codes to spectropolarimetric observations of active regions in the solar photosphere and chromosphere recorded with state-of-the-art instrumentation at facilities such as GREGOR, Sunrise and DKIST.

https://www.leibniz-kis.de/de/news/artikel/phd-position-in-solar-physics-m-f-d/

The position is available immediately.

Deadline for application is August 1st, 2024.… continue to the full article

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The Solar and Magnetospheric Theory Group (SMTG), School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews encourages expressions of interest for the following fellowship opportunities to be hosted by the group:

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship (STFC deadline 1 Oct 2024, 4pm UK time): https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/developing-people-and-skills/stfc/fellowships/ernest-rutherford-fellowships/

The School of Mathematics and Statistics in St Andrews can support one STFC ERF application in 2024. The successful candidate will be determined by an internal selection process (for details, see the SMTG Fellowships webpage). 

Interested candidates should follow the instructions on the SMTG Fellowships webpage  and submit the required application materials to Prof. Thomas Neukirch (tn3@st-andrews.ac.uk) by 2 August 2024. For informal enquiries please also get in touch with Prof. Neukirch. 

We would also encourage interested candidates to contact us about the following fellowships:

Royal Society University Research Fellowship (Royal Society deadline 10 September 2024; call opens 11 July 2024):
https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/university-research/

While there is no quota on Royal Society URF applications, applicants will still need to undergo an internal selection process.

We also welcome enquiries regarding our group hosting any Marie Slodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (European Commission closing date 11 September 2024): https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/postdoctoral-fellowships

The group’s research focuses on applications of the theory of solar system plasmas, in particular using MHD, to the solar atmosphere and planetary magnetospheres. Applications from candidates who would add to the group’s expertise in these areas of plasma theory would be welcome.… continue to the full article

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There is a postdoctoral position available at the Institute for Solar Physics (KIS) in Freiburg, Germany, within the department of Solar Magnetism. The scientist will work together with Dr. Juan Manuel Borrero and Dr. Ivan Milic on the measurements of electric currents in the solar chromosphere.

https://www.leibniz-kis.de/de/news/artikel/postdoctoral-position/

The position is available immediately. Deadline for application is July 15th, 2024.… continue to the full article

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