PRR Project

Summary

Auxiliar Professor position in the area of Physics, sub-area Astrophysics and Cosmology. The candidate is expected to have a PhD in Physics or Astrophysics and a strong research track record, particularly at the postdoctoral level, in Astrophysics and Cosmology, including astrophysical and cosmological applications of nuclear and particle physics. The candidate is supposed to join the Group of Astrophysics and Cosmology within the Center for Physics of the University of Coimbra (CFisUC) covering several research areas, amongst which neutron stars, black holes, gravitational waves, radio astronomy, multi-wavelength astronomy, interplay between particle and gravitational physics, and different topics in cosmology and astroparticle physics such as dark matter, dark energy, inflation, and the baryon asymmetry.In particular, the candidate is expected to demonstrate evidence for impactful scientific research in at least one or more of the following sub-topics:(i) Neutron and compact stars: constraining the equation of state of compact stars from astrophysical observations of pulsars and compact stars, supernovae, binary mergers using multi-messenger astronomy, which includes gravitational waves, astroparticle detection and electromagnetic astronomy in all wavelength ranges. (ii) Black hole physics: exploring the astrophysical and cosmological impact of stellar mass and supermassive black holes on galactic and extra-galactic scales, including active galactic nuclei (AGNs); identifying new AGNs through a multi-parameter analysis and obtaining physical and statistical quantities, taking advantage of high resolution radio data from SKAO precursors; studying the interplay between black holes and particle and nuclear physics through superradiance and Hawking emission; exploring the cosmological impact of primordial black holes formed in the early Universe and their synergies with beyond the Standard Model particle and nuclear physics. (iii) Cosmology: development of theoretical models addressing the main open problems in cosmology, alongside exploring their potential multi-messenger observational signatures (gravitational waves, multi-wavelength electromagnetic waves including the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, neutrinos, cosmic rays, etc.). These problems include, in particular, the origin and nature of dark matter, the production of a cosmological baryon asymmetry, the mechanism driving inflation in the early Universe and the late-time acceleration of the Universe’s expansion, in connection with other related problems in particle and nuclear physics such as the strong CP problem, the gauge hierarchy problem or the origin of neutrino masses.The candidate will be expected to pursue and develop research projects in collaboration with the members of the Physics Department (DF) and CFisUC, contributing to projects under development by members of the Astrophysics and Cosmology working group. The candidate should also demonstrate evidence for participation in international scientific collaborations producing impactful research in the above-mentioned areas and topics. The candidate will be expected to publish the outcomes of his/her scientific research in top journals in the relevant fields, alongside divulging them before a broad scientific audience by participating in international conferences and meetings.The candidate is expected to supervise students in the context of the Master’s in Physics, Masters in Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation and/or Doctoral Programme in Physics at the University of Coimbra and the Doctoral Programme MWGaiaDN - Revealing the Milky Way with Gaia, an Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Programme. The candidate should demonstrate an ability to teach courses at different levels of higher education, and, in particular, courses within the areas related to nuclear and particle physics, gravitation, astrophysics and/or cosmology, thus consolidating the Physics Department’s human resources in these fields and which are crucial for the courses it offers, particularly the above-mentioned courses at the MSc and PhD levels. Depending on his/her field of expertise, the candidate may, in fact, be responsible for proposing and teaching new optional MSc courses, thus broadening their scope and the training offered to the students.The candidate will also be expected to contribute to the Physics Department and CFisUC’s functioning and activities, as well as in science outreach activities, in particular those in the context of the above-mentioned research fields.