Three double-degree PhD fellowships in exoplanet research

Fellowship 1: “Irradiation and impact of stellar variability on exoplanet atmospheres”.

Aim: Development of self-consist models for stellar and irradiated exoplanet atmospheric systems and synthetic spectra. Using these models for studying the effect of stellar variability and activity on the exoplanet’s atmosphere and its potential habitability.

Double degree with University of Leuven, Belgium.

Fellowship 2: “Low-temperature chemistry for DRIFT-MARCS”.

Aim: Combining the experience from cool star modelling by the MARCS code with surface interaction and low-temperature gas- and cloud chemistry from the DRIFT code. Comparing model computations with existing and coming observations of a wide range of exoplanets.

Double degree with University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Fellowship 3: “Connecting the atmosphere and the interior in extrasolar gas planets”.

Aim: Connecting the interior of exoplanets with observations of the atmosphere (i.e. spectra, colours etc), and compare results from 1D and 3D computations. Using these models to study inflated close-in planets (i.e. solving “the hot jupiter radius anomaly”).

Double degree with University of Leuven, Belgium.

Principal supervisor: Professor Uffe Gråe Jørgensen, Niels Bohr Institute

Secondment supervisors: In St Andrews Dr Christiane Helling, and in Leuven Dr Ludmila Carone and Professor Leen Decin.

The fellowships are part of the EU funded Network “CHAMELEON -- virtual laboratories for exoplanets and planet forming disks”, which combines the expertise of eight European research institutes (Universities of St Andrews, Groningen, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Leuven and Antwerp, the Max-Planck Institute in Heidelberg and the Netherlands Institute for Space Research) to cover relevant aspects of exoplanetary atmospheres and protoplanetary disk modelling, observation and interpretation. The network will consist of the 15 PhD students and the respective supervisors and local research groups. Students of all nationalities are welcomed. A detailed description of all the 15 announced PhD fellowships of the network and how to apply is listed at (http://chameleon.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/recruitment/).

Starting date: 1st of September 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter.