PhD Research Fellow in Space Plasma Physics 

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PhD Research Fellow in Space Plasma Physics 

There is a vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow in Space Plasma Physics in the Department of Physics and Technology at the University of Bergen. The position is for a fixed-term period of three years with the possibility of a fourth year consisting of other compulsory duties (e.g. teaching within the department). This PhD Research Fellowship is a part of the “E3D-BRITE: EISCAT_3D-Based Reconstruction of Ionosphere-Thermosphere Electrodynamics” project, funded by the Research Council of Norway.

About the project/work tasks:

The E3D-BRITE project addresses a grand challenge in space physics: How do electric currents in Earth’s ionosphere evolve in time within a three-dimensional volume and on spatial scales smaller than 100 km? This and related questions have been impossible to answer because of a lack of truly 3D measurements of the ionosphere-thermosphere system.

We are hiring a PhD Research Fellow to work with the E3D-BRITE team to develop and test EISCAT_3D experiments and open-source software tools that generate an optimized reconstruction of the ionosphere-thermosphere electrodynamics within the EISCAT_3D field of view. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to advance our understanding far beyond its present boundaries.

The E3D-BRITE project is a collaboration of experts at the University of Bergen, the University of Tromsø in Northern Norway, and the University of Oulu in Finland. The successful candidate should be prepared to travel to collaborate with E3D-BRITE team members and to disseminate important scientific results.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent education in physics, applied mathematics, or another closely related field, or must have submitted his/her master’s thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the master’s degree has been awarded.
• Proficiency in scientific programming is required.
• Experience with inverse problems is required, with experience related to any of the following being a strong advantage:
  • data assimilation techniques
  • Kalman filtering
  • iterative reweighting
  • linearization of nonlinear inverse problems
  • kriging/Gaussian process regression
  • Bayesian inference
• Hands-on experience related to any of the following scientific programming is a strong advantage:
  • scripting
  • use of advanced models or simulations
  • object-oriented programming
  • advanced mathematical or statistical calculations
• Proficiency in Python is an advantage.
• Familiarity with key fields of space physics is an advantage, including one or several of the following:
  • magnetospheric physics
  • ionospheric physics
  • thermospheric physics
  • magnetic field modeling
• Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and demonstrate good collaborative skills.
• Applicants must be proficient in both written and oral English.
• Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates
   

Special requirements for the position 
The University of Bergen is subject to the regulation for export control systems. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.

About the PhD position (applies to university PhD positions):

About the PhD Research Fellow
The duration of the PhD Research Fellow is three years, with the possibility for a fourth year, consisting of 25% compulsory work (e.g. teaching responsibilities at the department) distributed over the employment period. The fourth year is contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department and will be decided by the head of department upon appointment.

The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a qualifying post (e.g. research fellow, research assistant).

About the research training
As a PhD Research Fellow, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. The deadline for applying for admission to the PhD programme at The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is 2 months after you start your position or after the start of the research project that will lead to the PhD degree. It is a condition that you satisfy the enrollment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen.

We can offer:

• a good and professionally stimulating working environment 
• salary as PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 532 200 (equivalent to pay grade 54). Further increases in salary are made according to length of service in the position.
• enrollment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

• A brief account of the applicant’s research interests and motivation for applying for the position
• The names and contact information for two referees. One of these should be the main advisor for the master’s thesis or equivalent thesis 
• CV
• Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. If you have not yet completed your master’s degree, please submit a statement from your institution confirming that the master’s thesis has been submitted
• Relevant certificates/references
• Approved documentation of proficiency in English (if required, cf. English language requirements for PhD admission)
• A list of any works of a scientific nature (publication list)
• Any publications in your name
• The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge. 

General information:

For further details about the position, please contact researcher Spencer Hatch (spencer.hatch@uib.no) or researcher Karl Magnus Laundal (Karl.Laundal@uib.no).

For HR related questions contact Thea Thingnes, thea.thingnes@uib.no 

The state labor force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. Age and gender balance among employees is therefore a goal. It is also a goal to recruit people with immigrant backgrounds. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position. 

We encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply.

  

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.

Life as a PhD candidate at UiB

Marion Claireaux tells about life and work as a PhD candidate at UiB.

About UiB

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad. 

There are seven departments and several centres at Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Read more about the faculty and departments. 

Deadline: 2024-02-25 at 23:59
Unit: Physical sciences/Math

Read the job description at the university homepage or apply.