PhD position: Globular cluster escapee stars with WEAVE and Gaia

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Archive Date: 
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Pre-doctoral/Graduate Positions
Institution Classification/Type: 
Large Academic
Institution/Company: 
Radboud University
Department Name: 
Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP
City: 
Nijmegen
State/Province: 
Gelderland
Country: 
Netherlands
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

Applications are invited for a four-year PhD position, starting in the Fall of 2021. The general aim of the project will be to identify and characterise Milky Way halo stars that may once have belonged to globular clusters, using observations from the ESA Gaia satellite and the new WEAVE spectrograph on the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope to study the chemical abundances and distributions of stars in phase-space. 

The candidate will work with Dr. Søren Larsen (Radboud University, Nijmegen), Prof. Amina Helmi (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen), and Dr. Anthony Brown (Leiden Observatory). The candidate will be based in Nijmegen but will be expected to visit Groningen and Leiden on a regular basis. 

To apply, please submit the following to the e-mail address below, mentioning "WEAVE/Gaia PhD Position" in the subject line: 

  • A cover letter 
  • Curriculum vitae
  • List of university courses followed
  • Statement of research experience and interests (approximately 1-2 pages)  
  • Candidates should also arrange for two letters of reference to be sent to [email protected].

Candidates must hold a Master's degree or equivalent in (astro)physics by the start of the appointment. 

The Department of Astrophysics is part of the Institute of Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP). The vibrant department consists of 11 faculty members, ~15 postdocs and technical staff, ~30 PhD students, and ~10 Master students. Research activities focus on high-energy astrophysics, black holes, cosmic-rays, gravitational waves, stellar and binary evolution, star clusters and the Milky Way.

The Department of Astrophysics is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a culturally diverse intellectual community, and as such strongly encourages applications from scientists of under-represented groups.

Pay Compensation
Salary Min: 
$2588.00 (USD)
Included Benefits: 

The position is for four years full-time employment, subject to a performance evaluation at 18 months, and is funded by the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA).

Salaries and benefits are according to the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities and start at Euro 2395 gross/month. In addition, end-of-year (8.3% of annual salary) and holiday allowances (8%) will be paid. Applicants applying from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for favourable tax status under the 30% rule.

Application Deadline: 
Monday, April 19, 2021
Selection Deadline: 
Monday, May 17, 2021
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Astrophysics Secretariat
Institution/Company: 
Radboud University
Department Name: 
Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP
City: 
Nijmegen
Country: 
Netherlands
Phone: 
+31 24 365 2804
Inquiries About Job
Attention To: 
Søren Larsen
Subject: 
WEAVE/Gaia PhD position