The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 26 500 students and 7 200 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.
Centre for Planetary Habitability (PHAB) is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence that provides a stimulating and well-funded research environment. PHAB’s main goal, based on detailed studies of Earth and our solar system, is to develop predictive models to identify habitable planets around other stars. PHAB research activities comprise three interrelated research themes: (1) Planets and Early Earth, (2) Modern Earth and (3) Exo-Earths. The centre was established in 2023 and will consist of approximately 70 full time and part time professors and researchers, PhD Research Fellows and Postdoctoral Research Fellows.
About the position
Position as PhD Research Fellow in Exoplanetary Sciences is available at the Centre for Planetary Habitability (PHAB), Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo (UiO).
Starting date 01.04.2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.The fellowship period is three years.
A fourth year maybe considered and it will involve 25 percent of other career-promoting work. Other career-promoting work may consist of teaching, supervision, and/or research assistance. This is dependent upon the qualification of the applicant and the current needs of the department.
No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.
Place of work is PHAB, the Department of Geosciences at Blindern, Oslo.
Project Description
The position is associated with the Centre for Planetary Habitability and linked to the “Galactic Recipe for Exo-Planets” (GREP) project funded by the Research Council of Norway. GREP’s objective is to take exoplanet and exoplanetary system formation modelling to the next level.
Several thousands of exoplanets have been discovered in more than 5000 stellar systems, and several thousands more planets are pending confirmation. Although this high number allows for good statistical analyses of the known exoplanets and the systems they occur in, none of the systems resemble our solar system, and only a few hundreds of exoplanets can broadly be considered temperate and rocky. Consequently, the collection lacks typical inner solar system planets (i.e., Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), and the systems are commonly very compact.
Despite the numerous numerical models that have been proposed and progressively refined by the observational constraints over the past decade(s), our understanding of the observed exoplanetary diversity remains incomplete. The upcoming PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) mission shall detect and characterise planets smaller than twice the Earthʼs size at high parameter accuracy for planet radius and mass and system age around bright stars.
The anticipation of more extended systems, although they probably will not resemble the solar system either, is challenging our standard models of planet formation. Our goal is to predict and reproduce the architecture of these exoplanetary systems and the exoplanet properties, including composition, thereby testing currently competing planet formation models against observations.
The primary responsibilities of this position involve modelling planet formation in a self-consistent manner, using discovered exoplanets and exoplanetary systems as compositional and dynamical guide. This includes conducting numerical simulations of planet formation through N-body simulation, focussing on models of planetesimal and pebble accretion. Additionally, it requires the implementation of different disk models and formation timescales to form exoplanetary systems of variable dimensions, compatible with existing and expected telescopic observations for different types of stars.
The work is carried out in collaboration with the Postdoctoral fellow, who is yet to be hired, and the entire GREP Team. A detailed project plan will be developed in collaboration with the successful candidate at the start of the PhD fellowship period.
What skills are important in this role?
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.
Qualification requirements:
Master’s degree or equivalent in (exo)planetary sciences or a closely related discipline
Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
Experience in scientific programming
Candidates without a Master’s degree must submit their thesis within the application deadline and present a date for the final exam.
Desired qualifications:
Experience with assessing exoplanet properties
Knowledge about ESA’s PLATO mission goals
Knowledge about planet formation and disk models
Experience with numerical methods for addressing planet formation through N-body simulations will be considered a significant asset
Language requirement:
Good oral and written communication skills in English
The average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
The average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
The Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. For more information see:http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/
All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.
What are we looking for in you?
Personal skills:
Good communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to create and contribute to a well-functioning, inclusive and productive research environment
Ability to work independently as well as in multidisciplinary teams
Ability to give and receive constructive scientific criticism
Quantitative and analytical skills
Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal qualifications.
Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes
Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
Salary in position as PhD Research Fellow, position code 1017 in salary range NOK from 550 800 - 595 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund
We need different perspectives in our work
UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.
We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues, could you be the next one?
We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.
If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).
The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here. We hope you will apply for the position with us.
How to apply
The application must include:
Cover letter - statement of motivation and research interests
CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
Copies of the original Bachelor and Master’s degree diploma and transcripts of records
Documentation of English proficiency if applicable
List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job".
When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.
General information
The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.
