The doctoral fellowship programme INPhINIT ”la Caixa” is devoted to attracting talented Early-Stage Researchers—of any nationality—who wish to pursue doctoral studies in Spanish or Portuguese territory. Sponsored by ”la Caixa” Foundation, it is aimed at supporting the best scientific talent and fostering innovative and high-quality research in Spain and Portugal by recruiting outstanding international students and offering them an attractive and competitive environment for conducting research of excellence.
The Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona is a research centre accredited with the Spanish Seal of Excellence María de Maeztu in 2020, the perfect place to carry out your PhD project through an INPhINIT Incoming fellowship.
Research Project:
Gamma-ray Astrophysics has become the most effective window for the study of high-energy phenomena in the Universe. The last generation of ground-based observatories has revealed a new population of gamma-ray sources acting as extreme particle accelerators, which may be the ultimate responsible for the highest-energy Cosmic Rays (CRs) detected in our Galaxy (E >1PeV, or thousands of times higher than the energy range accessible at CERN).
Most of these very-high (VHE) and ultra-high energy (UHE) sources remain unidentified. Their study can provide a definitive answer to the >100-years standing question on the origin of CRs. In turn, this can shed new light on the nature of the enigmatic "positron excess" recently reported by particle space-borne detectors, which has been otherwise interpreted as indirect signatures of the presence of Dark Matter in the Milky Way. In addition, the study of these extreme accelerators may explain the bright diffuse gamma-ray and neutrino fluxes observed throughout the Galaxy.
A novel theoretical framework needs to be developed to explain the extraordinary particle acceleration efficiencies and the radiative outcomes of these newly discovered gamma-ray sources. In addition, further observations will provide invaluable information on their origin. The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), and the Large High Altitude Air shower Observatory (LHAASO) are the next-generation facilities for the study of the Universe in VHE and UHE gamma rays, respectively. While LHAASO has recently entered its operational phase, the first CTA prototype, Large Sized Telescope, is already being commissioned, with the full LST array expected to be operational by 2026, becoming the most sensitive gamma-ray observatory ever built.
The ICCUB is a member institute of the CTA Consortium, granting immediate access to these data. This research is led by the High-Energy Astrophysics group, which has long-standing experience in both Observational and Theoretical Astrophysics.
Job position description:
This job position is aimed for a highly-motivated, young physicist with a strong interest in High-Energy Astrophysics. Some previous knowledge on the topic is welcome but not mandatory. The Applicant will develop new theoretical models able to explain the origin of the VHE and UHE gamma-ray sources, based on their morphological and spectral properties. In particular, he/she will study particle acceleration mechanisms and particle transport in magnetised plasmas, accounting for diffusion processes in turbulent magnetic fields. In addition, he/she will master the analysis of gamma-ray observations, and might become a member of the CTA Consortium and have access and analyse VHE gamma-ray observations conducted with the LST telescopes,
During the first year the PhD student will get immersed into the status of the field, acquiring up-to-date knowledge on the latest results and on the physical interpretation therein proposed. He/she will in parallel get familiar with the analysis tools used in gamma-ray astronomy, providing him/her with a good knowledge of the data-reduction pipelines as well as on available open-source tools for their modelling and interpretation.
During the second year the student is expected to apply his/her theoretical studies to a selected set of VHE and UHE gamma-ray sources. He/she will also start reducing data obtained with the LST array on new observed sources. The student will participate in the whole process, from the scientific justification of observational proposals to the data reduction, interpretation and publication of the obtained results. During this second year, a stay of 2-3 months in an international research center to learn from, and collaborate with, other experts on data analysis and/or its theoretical interpretation is planned.
During the third year of the PhD the student will continue the studies and will summarise the work done to be defended as a PhD Thesis.
More information:
Employment conditions
The ”la Caixa” Foundation will sign an agreement with the host institution, which will receive the fellowship payments directly:
- An annual payment of €35,800 to the institution to cover the Fellow’s contract, who will receive a minimum annual gross salary of €25.000. This amount might vary if there are modifications in the legal framework.
- €3,500 per year, as an additional amount for conferences, courses, research stays, consumables, equipment, charges for the use of intellectual property, etc.
- The tuition fees to the official doctoral programme
In addition to financial support, the fellowship includes a training programme on transversal skills, which has been specially designed by leading international institutions in the sector.
For more information on the employment conditions, please refer to this document.
Working at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences
The Institute of Cosmos Sciences is a research institute of the University of Barcelona. It is an interdisciplinary centre dedicated to fundamental research in the fields of cosmology, astrophysics, and particle physics. In addition, the institute has a strong technology program through its participation in international collaborations in observational astronomy and experimental particle physics.
Moreover, the ICCUB participates in many key international scientific consortia and projects, such as the Large Hadron Collider, the Gaia astrometric space mission, the MAGIC / CTA high-energy astrophysics telescopes, and the Virgo gravitational wave detector, among others. Additional information about the Institute and the University of Barcelona can be found here.
You will be encouraged to contribute and interact with other researchers in the vibrant and international research environment as well as to participate in our outreach initiatives, more information at serviAstro and serviParticules.
As part of the University of Barcelona, the ICCUB is a recipient of the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research (HRS4R) Award, which recognises, among other achievements, respect for equal opportunities and the capacity to attract talent in a positive working environment that promotes the pursuit of successful research careers. The ICCUB respects the principles of open, transparent, merit-based selection. We strongly encourage women and underrepresented minorities in physical sciences to apply. For additional information please see the Diversity, equity and inclusion Commission.
The ICCUB is located in Barcelona, considered the 8th World's Best Cities 2021: one with near-perfect weather year-round, miles and miles of beaches, iconic parks, striking architecture and colourful neighbourhoods that march to their own beat—artistic, sophisticated, bohemian. Moreover, it is a pole of attraction for the technology sector, a top choice to establish a company in this sector, and it hosts some of the world's major technological events, such as the Mobile World Congress and the Smart City Expo. In addition, Barcelona and its metropolitan area is a leading destination on the map of global technological ecosystems and has infrastructures such as science parks, universities and the 22@ district.
Requirements
In order to be accepted, candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Experience: candidates must not have carried out more than four years of research activity before the closing date of the call.
- Studies pursued: Applicants must hold a higher education degree that makes them eligible to enroll in a doctoral programme before starting at their host institutions.
The host university will verify, upon starting the admission process to the doctoral programme, that the studies taken up by the selected candidates make them eligible to enroll in an official doctoral programme in accordance with the regulations in force in Spain or Portugal. Should they be found not eligible after verification, the fellowship will be withdrawn.
Under no circumstances may candidates have previously enrolled in the same doctoral studies for which they are applying for the fellowship.
- Geographic mobility: Candidates must not have resided or have carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the call deadline. Short stays, such as holidays, done in a country other than their country of usual residence (where they carried out their main activity), will be considered as time spent in their country of usual residence.
- Level of English: Candidates must have a demonstrable level of English (B2 or higher).
For more information on the candidates requirements, please refer to this document.
Application Procedure
All applications must be submitted online through the following link in English. For more information on the application procedure, please refer to this document.
Deadline: Please submit your applications by January 24th 2024 at 2 pm.
Selection process:
The process is comprised of three phases:
- Eligibility screening: all applications received are reviewed to check the accomplishment of the eligibility criteria published in the rules for participation
- Remote evaluation (shortlisting): an evaluation panel will review the applications and those that receive the highest scores will pass to the next stage.
- Personal interviews: shortlisted candidates are invited to a remotely interview before a multidisciplinary committee on May 27, 28 and 29 2024.
The rating criteria that govern the selection process can be found in the Selection process guidelines section of the ”la Caixa” Fellowship Programme website.
For more information on the selection process, please refer to this document.
Funding: This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No713673.
The co-funded part of the programme runs from 01/10/2016 to 30/09/2021 and finances the researchers recruited under Call 2017 and 2018.