PHD (PD Salary Scale)

Project Descriptions:

Project 4: MagmaWorlds - Tracing the chemical evolution of super-Earth exoplanets

: Dr. Tim Lichtenberg

Project Description : The origin and evolution of the atmospheres of rocky worlds is a major question of exoplanet science, affecting the frequency of potentially habitable worlds and the prebiotic environment of the earliest Earth. In the ERC MagmaWorlds project our team will build a numerical framework of the chemical evolution of super-Earth exoplanets, bridging the ultra-hot conditions of atmosphere-stripped lava worlds with the climate of temperate volatile-rich super-Earths. The postdoctoral researcher will study the influence of internal geophysical and/or atmospheric processes on the composition, climate, and observable signatures of super-Earth exoplanets. Key topics may include the roles of atmospheric disequilibrium chemistry and escape, and the internal structural and tidal evolution during mantle crystallization. The project will focus on developing and applying novel computer codes to numerically simulate these geophysical and atmospheric processes for interpretation with JWST and future exoplanet surveys. Applicants with strong computational skills and a background in either planetary geoscience or atmospheric science are particularly encouraged to apply.

For detailed questions about a particular project, you can also email the prospective s: https://www.rug.nl/(...)e/people/medewerkers. Please write a clear reference in the email subject, e.g., title of the project you are applying for and/or name of the (s).

Groningen occupies a strategic place in Dutch astronomy, hosting both the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, the low-energy astrophysics division of the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) and the NOVA sub-mm lab. The Kapteyn Institute has a strong connection with the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) in Dwingeloo, a European centre of radio astronomy research. Staff and PhD students at the Kapteyn Institute frequently collaborate with SRON and ASTRON scientists and engineers. There are also strong interdisciplinary connections with other institutes in the Faculty of Science and Engineering in Groningen, and across the Netherlands, such as with the Dutch Origins Center. English is the common language spoken at the institute.

Groningen (https://www.visitgroningen.nl/en) is a historic university town in the northern Netherlands with a population of approximately 240,000 people, of which almost 25% are students. This makes Groningen the city in the Netherlands with the highest student population density, the youngest city in the country, and one of the youngest in Europe. Groningen offers a very high quality of life, surrounded by beautiful nature, and is a lively city with a remarkably diverse cultural scene. You can find more information on http://groningenlife.nl/en .

Conditions of employment

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• a salary in the range of € 4,241 - € 4,728 depending on years of experience post-PhD (PD salary scale), based on a full-time position

• a holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income

• an 8.3% year-end bonus

• a full-time position (1.0 FTE)

• a position for two years, renewable for a third year based on performance

Application

A complete application includes the following: