Description

PhD Project in Extragalactic Astrophysics Niels Bohr Institute Faculty of SCIENCE University of Copenhagen

The Cosmic DAWN Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in observational extragalactic astrophysics. The project is part of the research project “Galactic gas recycling”, which is financed by the Independent Research Fund Denmark.

Start date is expected to be September 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project

The PhD candidate will work on projects to investigate galaxy evolution through the enrichment of metals and gas-flows in the outskirts of high- redshift galaxies. The PhD project will use data of quasar absorption lines obtained from the VLT- and participate in developing spectral analyses of quasars for an upcoming large spectroscopic survey. The project involves processing and analyses of both observational imaging and spectroscopy data and may involve analyses of numerical simulations.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for candidates within the field of observational astrophysics. Applicants can have a background in Astronomy, Astrophysics, or Physics, and hold a MSc degree in these fields.

Our group and research- and what do we offer?

DAWN is a Center of Excellence funded by the Danish National Research Foundation, and is located at the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen and at the Space division of the Danish Technical University (DTU-Space). The center brings together international experts in all aspects of reseach on the early Universe, galaxy evolution and numerical simulations. Scientists at the centre are involved in major existing and upcoming surveys with HST, ALMA, Euclid, JWST, 4MOST, as well as large observing programmes at the VLT.

Principal supervisor is Associate Professor at NBI/DAWN, Lise Bech Christensen, lichrist@nbi.ku.dk

The PhD programme

Depending of your level of education, you can undertake the PhD programme as either:

Option A: A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master's degree.

Option B: An up to five year full-time study programme within the framework of the integrated MSc and PhD programme (the 3+5 scheme), if you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master´s degree – but you have an education equivalent to a Danish bachelors´s degree.

Option A: Getting into a position on the regular PhD programme

Qualifications needed for the regular programme To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master's degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. in astronomy or astrophysics. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The terms of employment and salary are in accordance to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Option B: Getting into a position on the integrated MSc and PhD programme

Qualifications needed for the integrated MSc and PhD programme

If you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master´s degree , you might be qualified for the integrated MSc and PhD programme, if you have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish bachelor´s degree. Here you can find out, if that is relevant for you: General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of the integrated programme To be eligible for the integrated scholarship, you are (or are eligible to be) enrolled at one of the faculty's master programmes in physics or astrophysics.

Students on the integrated programme will enroll as PhD students simultaneously with completing their enrollment in this MSc degree programme.

The duration of the integrated programme is up to five years, and depends on the amount of credits that you have passed on your MSc programme. For further information about the study programme, please see: www. science.ku.dk/phd, “Study Structures”.

Until the MSc degree is obtained, (when exactly two years of the full 3+5 programme remains), the grant will be paid partly in the form of 48 state education grant portions (in Danish: “SU-klip”) plus salary for work (teaching, supervision etc.) totalling a workload of at least 150 working hours per year. A PhD grant portion is DKK 6,397 before tax.

When you have obtained the MSc degree, you will transfer to the salary-earning part of the scholarship for a period of two years. At that point, the terms of employment and payment will be according to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in both PhD programmes

Complete and pass the MSc education in accordance with the curriculum of the MSc programme (ONLY when you are attending the integrated MSc and PhD programme)

Carry through an independent research project under supervision

Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE

Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad

Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities

Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals

Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project

Relevant publications

Relevant work experience

Other relevant professional activities

Curious mind-set with a strong interest in Python programming and knowledge of galaxy spectra

Good English language skills

Application and Assessment Procedure

Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include :

Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

Your motivation for applying for the specific PhD project

Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.

Publication list (if possible)

Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:

The deadline for application is 26 June, 2022, 23:59 GMT +2.

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https: // employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in August 2022.

Questions For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School's website: https: // www. science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.