LEDIG STILLING VED UIT NORGES ARKTISKE UNIVERSITET
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Space Physics
Deadline: 24.10.2021
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
UiT is a multi-campus research university in Norway and the northernmost university of the world. Our central location in the High North, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio, and our interdisciplinary qualities make us uniquely suited to meet the challenges of the future. At UiT you can explore global issues from a close-up perspective.
Credibility, academic freedom, closeness, creativity and commitment shall be hallmarks of the relationship between our employees, between our employees and our students and between UiT and our partners.
Faculty of Science and Technology
The position
At the Department of Physics and Technology, a position is available for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Space Physics. The position is affiliated with the Space Physics research group.
The position is a fixed term position for a duration of three years. Appointment to the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow is mainly intended to provide qualification for work in top academic positions. It is a prerequisite that the applicant is able to carry out the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed-term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution.
The workplace for the appointed Postdoctoral Research Fellow is UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø.
The position's affiliation
The position is attached to the Space Physics research group at the Department of Physics and Technology, located in the Tromsø campus of UiT. The Space Physics group has a long tradition in using the radar instruments of the EISCAT Scientific Association in Northern Scandinavia, and plays an important role in preparing for the new advanced atmospheric radar facility, EISCAT 3D, a new generation incoherent scatter radar system capable of volumetric imaging, and of providing three-dimensional vector measurements of several ionospheric quantities [1].
Scientists in the group conduct research on topics including auroral ionosphere; ionospheric modification; space weather; laboratory plasmas; space debris; planetary radar techniques and observations; cosmic dust, meteors, and dusty plasma in the mesosphere; long-term trends in the ionosphere; and planetary magnetospheres.
[1] McCrea, I., Aikio, A., Alfonsi, L. et al. (2015). Prog. in Earth and Planet. Sci., doi.org/10.1186/s40645-015-0051-8
The research project
The position is attached to the project entitled “Characterization and Assessment of Structuring Connected to Auroral Dynamics using EISCAT_3D”, and funded by the Research Council of Norway. The main motivation of the project is to improve our characterization and understanding of ionospheric turbulence and irregularities in the auroral regions, which are known to be able to affect our technological infrastructure such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals.
A central objective for the project is to develop new observational methods applicable to EISCAT_3D and allowing to investigate the spatio-temporal characteristics of ionospheric structuring, as well as imaging the ionosphere in three dimensions. Alongside, the project will coordinate observations from national and international research infrastructures including existing incoherent scatter radars, high-resolution cameras, GNSS receivers, and sounding rockets. Combined with numerical simulations, these multi-instrument multi-scale observations will help answer outstanding questions about the formation and characteristics of ionospheric turbulence in the auroral regions.
The role of the Postdoctoral Research Fellow
The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will take a leading role in establishing new observational capabilities for EISCAT_3D. Essential tasks will be to develop analysis techniques to monitor the ionospheric environment in three dimensions, as well as tools for turbulence/waves studies applicable to the radar data. The Fellow will likely be able to participate in observations using this new world leading facility (in addition to using observations from infrastructures above-mentioned).
The outcome of the project will not only be relevant within the scope of ionospheric irregularities, but also in a broader context of Space weather, as it may help addressing questions related magnetospheric-ionospheric coupling and auroral dynamics for example (e.g., see full science case of EISCAT_3D in in [1]).
Contact
For further information about the position, please contact:
The position requires a Norwegian doctoral degree in Space Physics, Plasma Physics, Applied Mathematics, or similar (relevant to the topic), or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.
A good knowledge about the theoretical and data analysis/scientific programming aspects related to one or more of the following fields is an advantage: turbulence, ionospheric radars, ionospheric and/or magnetospheric physics, statistical inverse problems, ionospheric plasma waves and/or instabilities.
Qualification with a PhD is required before commencement in the position. If you’re at the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply if you have submitted your PhD thesis for doctoral degree evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis with your application. You must have dissertated before the start-up date of the position.
In the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted works and the vision statement. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.
Suitable candidates should have good communication skills and should be able to participate in international collaborations.
During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidate’s motivation, potential for research, and personal suitability for the position.
At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
Inclusion and diversity
UiT The Arctic University i Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.
If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.
We offer
Involvement in an interesting research project
Participation in cooperative project with both national and international research groups
Possibilities for research-stays abroad
Excellent career opportunities
A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
Pension scheme through the state pension fund
If you receive a personal overseas research grant from NFR it is possible to apply NFR for an extension of the fellowship period corresponding to the length of the stay abroad (minimum three months, maximum 12 months).
Application
Your application must include:
Application letter
Vision statement for research activities (max 2 pages)
Description of your past research project and its relevance to the advertised position (max 1 page)
CV
Diplomas and transcripts
Written references
Contact information to 2-3 references
A list of your academic production
Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
Academic works, up to then. The doctoral thesis has to be included and is regarded as one work
All applicants must submit a vision statement describing how they can scientifically contribute to the project.
The documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language. We only accept applications sent via www.jobbnorge.no.
General information
The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.
The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.
UiT wishes to increase the proportion of females in academic positions. In cases where two or more applicants are found to be approximately equally qualified, female applicants will be given priority.
The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.
According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.
More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here.
