PhD student position in space physics - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

The Department of Physics is looking for a candidate for a PhD position in space physics. The start date will be in September 2020 or by agreement. The PhD project will be conducted in close collaboration with scientists from several international institutes: University of California at Berkeley, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Leicester, and Aalto University. The last day to apply is 30 April 2020.

Project description
In this PhD project the global current systems at Mars will be studied. These currents couple the Martian ionosphere to regions in the upstream solar wind. The currents affect the formation of the induced magnetosphere and they are hence important also for atmospheric loss from Mars.

Data obtained by NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft will be used and compared to global simulations of Mars-solar wind interaction.

The project is financed by the Swedish National Space Agency.

Qualifications
To be admitted for studies at third-cycle level you are required to have completed a second-cycle level degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 ECTS credits. The recruitment procedure will follow the Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen). Prerequisites include 240 ECTS credits (högskolepoäng) of higher education studies, of which 60 ECTS credits should be on an advanced level (Master’s level), or equivalent. In addition to these requirements, 120 ECTS credits need to be in physics.

We are looking for a highly motivated and responsible candidate who is passionate for developing as an individual scientist as well as a space physics research team member. In order to succeed as a PhD student, you must be creative, goal-oriented and devoted to work. In order to be admitted to postgraduate studies, it is required that the applicant has necessary knowledge from university higher education or corresponding relevant for the PhD education area.

Analysis of data is an essential part of the work, and good skills in programming and good experience from using Matlab and C or equivalent are required. Good communication skills in written and spoken English is also a requirement. You must also have good interpersonal skills, be resourceful, and have a high degree of independence.

Terms of employment
The employment is expected to result in a doctoral degree and the main assignment for the doctoral student is thus to be part of the research education, which includes participation in the described research project but also to take relevant courses. Teaching and other departmental work (up to a maximum of 20%) can be included. The employment is limited to four years at full time or up to five years if teaching and other departmental work is performed. The salary is fixed according to the established salary level for doctoral students.

Application
The application should include the following

1. A cover letter. It should include your contact information, your qualifications and previous experience relevant for the position. Describe your motives for wanting to pursue studies at the PhD level in this area, your career ambitions, and the expectations you have on working life after you have completed a doctoral degree.

2. A curriculum vitae (CV);

3. Verified copies of degree certificates translated into Swedish or English, including documentation of completed academic courses and obtained grades (for an international applicant, the grading system should be shortly described);

4. A copy of your BSc and/or MSc thesis or similar and, if applicable, other research publications;

5. Names and contact information for at least three reference persons.

Your application should be written in Swedish or English and be submitted via our e-recruitment system Varbi (link below).

Information
For further information, contact Herbert Gunell, herbert.gunell@umu.se.

Applications must be submitted via the e-recruitment system Varbi no later than 30 April 2020.

We look forward to receiving your application.