PhD student in Space Physics

Published: 2021-02-25

The deadline for applying to this position has passed.

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 45,000 students, more than 7,000 employees and a turnover of around SEK 7 billion.

The research conducted at the Department of Physics and Astronomy encompasses a wide range of physics topics, distributed over ten divisions. The department is located in the Ångström laboratory and employs nearly 400 people, 125 of whom are doctoral students. It offers a broad physics curriculum to undergraduate and graduate students, participation in nationally and internationally leading projects for researchers, and opportunities for partnership with industry and various outreach activities. Read more at www.physics.uu.se.

Project description: The PhD student will work together with supervisors at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) located at the Ångström laboratory in Uppsala. Our team performs observations, data analysis and modelling of space plasma processes (https://space.irfu.se). The team has decades of experience in developing and operating instruments to measure electric fields, plasma temperature, density and density fluctuations for spacecraft missions (e.g. Solar Orbiter, Rosetta, Cassini, Cluster, MMS and Swarm). The PhD student will study plasma processes in the solar wind, a plasma wind continuously emitted from the sun into the whole solar system, using observations from our latest project, Solar Orbiter, launched February 2020 (https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Solar_Orbiter). These processes are driven by mechanisms in the solar corona, including coronal mass ejections, shocks and waves, and are essential for energy transport away from the sun.

Duties: The PhD student will together with supervisors and other scientists analyse data from Solar Orbiter and, when needed, from other spacecraft. The observations will be compared with theory and simulations mainly performed by other teams. The studies should lead to improved models of fundamental space physics of importance for the solar wind and the inner heliosphere, for near-Earth space weather and for astrophysics. 

The PhD student will primarily devote the time to her/his own research studies. This includes both research and courses at advanced level. The position is a 4-year appointment. Extension, up to a maximum of five years, is possible by including department duties such as teaching at a level of at most 20%.  

Requirements: The position requires adequate academic qualifications, e. g., a master degree in physics, see se http://www.physics.uu.se and http://www.teknat.uu.se. We are looking for a person with the capacity to work both independently and in a team, and who has very god oral and written proficiency in English.

Additional qualifications: Practical experience of analysis of data from advanced scientific instruments, e.g., on spacecraft, will be considered a merit.

The application should include a CV, a short (one-page) letter stating research interests and relevant experience, copies of academic transcripts, BSc/MSc thesis (or draft thereof) and other relevant publications, and contact information for two professional references.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

Salary: According to local agreement for PhD students.
 
Starting date: 01-09-2021 or as otherwise agreed.

Type of employment: Temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7.

Scope of employment: 100 %

For further information about the position please contact: Prof. Mats André (mats.andre@irfu.se), Dr. Daniel Graham (daniel.graham@irfu.se) and Dr. Michiko Morooka (michiko.morooka@irfu.se).

Please submit your application by 15 April 2021, UFV-PA 2021/732.

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Submit your application through Uppsala University's recruitment system.