The objectives of the two-year MS program and four-year PhD program in physics are, within a physics curriculum, to provide the students with knowledge of the advanced methods of modern theoretical physics.
The student will be integrated from the very beginning into the physics group of Eastern Mediterranean University, and are expected to MS/PhD thesis during the second/fourth year.
All the lectures will be given in English.
A limited number of fellowships is available.
Applications from candidates with broad interests connected to any of the following areas of theoretical astrophysics are invited for a 3-year postdoctoral research fellow to start in September, 2019 (the start date is flexible):
* Gravitational-wave astrophysics and the astrophysical interpretation of exciting new data on binary neutron star and black hole mergers
* Modelling massive stellar and binary evolution
* The interpretation of high-energy astrophysical transients, including tidal disruption events and gamma ray bursts
* Stellar dynamics
* Astrostatistics
Please follow the URL for the full advertisement and application instructions.
Applications should be submitted online via the above URL and should include a CV with a publication list and a statement of research interests. Applicants should also arrange for three reference letters to be sent directly to Prof. Ilya Mandel at ilya.mandel AT monash.edu .
The School of Physics and Astronomy at Monash University is strongly committed to improving the diversity of our staff and students, and promoting a culture of equity, fairness, respect and openness. Applications from female candidates are highly encouraged.
The application deadline is 30 November, 2018.
P.S. Candidates interested in a PhD position in related areas should contact me directly.
The high energy astrophysics group at Fudan University (Shanghai, China) has a few PhD positions for the next academic year (starting in September 2019). The successful candidates must have a Master degree in Physics or in a related area before September 2019. Courses and research are conducted in English. The PhD program normally lasts for 3 years, but it can be extended to 4-5 years.
We are looking for candidates interested in working on:
1) X-ray data analysis of black holes
2) Astrophysical codes (fortran, C/C++, python)
The group is led by Prof. Cosimo Bambi and currently consists of 2 postdoctoral researchers and several graduate and undergraduate students. More details can be found on the group webpage.
Interested candidates should send their CV (including, among other things, date of birth and nationality) and a short statement of research interests and/or experience to:
Prof. Cosimo Bambi
E-mail: bambi[AT]fudan.edu.cn
Please arrange also at least 2 recommendation letters to be sent separately to the same email address.
Applications received by November 30 will receive full consideration.
Applications are invited for a PhD position in the Quantum Gravity group at the Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP) of the Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The successful applicant will work under the supervision of Dr. Timothy Budd and will be funded as part of the NWO START-UP project “New routes towards quantum gravity in the ultraviolet”, which aims at the study of spacetime geometry at the smallest of scales with the help of the latest mathematical techniques and numerical methods. The Quantum Gravity group, consisting of three full-time and two part-time faculty and several postdocs and PhD students, provides an active and stimulating environment for fundamental research in the quantum aspects of spacetime and gravity.
Applicants must have a university degree in physics or mathematics at the masters level or equivalent, with proven abilities in theoretical physics and interests in quantum gravity. Affinity in any of the following topics is considered an advantage but not essential: computer simulations and Monte Carlo methods, statistical physics and critical phenomena, probability and stochastic processes, enumerative combinatorics.
The PhD position is for four years, which is the expected time for obtaining a doctoral degree in the Netherlands, and is subject to review after one year. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the collective labour agreement (CAO) of the Dutch universities. Starting date of the position is to be agreed upon.
Applications will be considered until the position is filled, but those received by October 16th, 2018 are guaranteed full consideration. To apply the following documents should be sent electronically in pdf-format to T. Budd (T.Budd[AT]science.ru.nl): cover letter; CV; transcript of university courses and grades; (brief) statement of research interests.
We encourage applications from women, racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals with disabilities.
Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, invites applications for a PhD fellowship within the research project “Dynamics in spatially confined Hamiltonian systems” funded by the Polish National Science Centre.
The goal of this project is to advance understanding of propagation of nonlinear waves in spatially confined systems. We are looking for a well motivated student of physics or mathematics with good analytic solving skills.
Applications and inquiries should be sent to prof. Piotr Bizon at bizon[AT]th.if.uj.edu.pl. The deadline for applications is August 31, 2018.
We are pleased to announce that the 2018 Giulio Rampa Thesis Prize for outstanding research in General Relativity will be presented to Dr. Davide Gerosa and to Dr. Jan Ostrowski.
The committee consisting of Profs. Lars Andersson, Mauro Carfora, Gerhard Huisken, Luciano Rezzolla, prepared the following laudationes:
“Dr. Gerosa’s Ph.D. Thesis on “Source modelling at the dawn of gravitational-wave astronomy” shows an impressive ability to master a rather broad range of topics in relativistic astrophysics and gravitational wave physics. The research initiated by Dr. Gerosa in these areas has triggered follow-up work, providing new important insights and new physical scenarios. The large impact that the work of Dr. Gerosa has already had can only continue to grow.”
“Dr.Ostrowski’s Ph.D. Thesis on “Mass function of galaxy clusters in inhomogeneous relativistic Cosmology” established him as a leading researcher in the field of inhomogeneous relativistic cosmology, i.e. the approach in cosmology where the epoch of nonlinear structure formation needs to be studied employing general relativity together with the “background” rather than separately. Dr. Ostrowski has revealed an impressive stamina in addressing this crucial theme, and his results will have a significant importance for the interpretation of data in the forthcoming era of precision cosmology.”
In recognition of the high quality of the nominations received, the Committee has also decided to award an honourable mention to the outstanding Ph.D. research carried out by Benito A. Juarez Aubry in the Thesis “Asymptotics in the time-dependent Hawking and Unruh effects, and to Sumanta Chakraborty for the Thesis “Classical and Quantum Aspects of Gravity in Relation to the Emergent Paradigm”.
The prize is sponsored by The University of Pavia and by the Italian Society for Relativity and Gravitational Physics (SIGRAV) to honor the memory of Giulio Rampa and is given, every two years, to a graduate student for outstanding research in general relativity. The prize has been established in 2011, and is endowed under the terms of a donation from Nadia and Giorgio Rampa.
Each GRT prize carries a certificate and a net check for EUR 2,000. The prizes will be presented to Davide Gerosa and Jan Ostrowski at the 23rd edition of the “Italian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation (SIGRAV) Conference” to be held at the Hotel Flamingo in Santa Margherita di Pula, (Cagliari), Italy, 9-15 September 2018 (http://sigrav2018.ca.infn.it). This is the biennial Conference of the Italian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation (SIGRAV) devoted to all aspects of gravitational physics. The Rampa Prize winners will have the opportunity to present their work during a special session of the conference. The winners will also be announced during the annual Honours Ceremony during the Inauguration of the Graduate Studies Academic Year in Pavia, in December 2018.
The objectives of the two-year MS program and four-year PhD program in physics are, within a physics curriculum, to provide the students with knowledge of the advanced methods of modern theoretical physics.
The student will be integrated from the very beginning into the physics group of Eastern Mediterranean University, and are expected to MS/PhD thesis during the second/fourth year.
All the lectures will be given in English.
A limited number of fellowships is available.
The Gravitational Theory division at the University of Jena anticipates the opening of PhD positions with starting date in fall 2018 / early 2019. The positions are associated with the research group of Prof. Sebastiano Bernuzzi at the Theoretical Physics Institute. There is the opportunity to participate to a wide range of research activities in numerical relativity, gravitational-wave modeling and data analysis or related analytical and computational methods. Applicants with a background in the above areas are especially encouraged to apply. The successful candidates have the opportunity to join the Virgo Collaboration and participate to the LIGO-Virgo gravitational-wave astronomy effort.
For information on the Theoretical Physics Institute visit: https://www.tpi.uni-jena.de/HomePage
For information on the research group visit: http://www.tpi.uni-jena.de/~bernuzzi
Applications sent by June 1, 2018 will receive full consideration; applications after this date are still welcome until the positions are filled. In a situation where two candidates have otherwise equal qualifications, preference will be given to women, minorities, and handicapped applicants.
Please submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae with a list of publications, a brief description of research interests, and a list of potential referees, who may be contacted separately. Please send applications to:
sebastiano.bernuzzi[AT]uni-jena.de
Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut
Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena
MAX Wien Platz 1
D-07743 Jena, Germany
Office 209
Please use the string “Application for PhD position – SURNAME NAME” in the email subject and use the PDF format for all your files.
The Virgo group at Nikhef has openings for several PhD students in gravitational wave data analysis.
Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands, where approximately 175 physicists and 75 technical staff members work together in an open and international scientific environment. Together they perform excellent theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle and astroparticle physics. Among the research collaborations Nikhef participates in are the ATLAS, LHCb and ALICE experiments at CERN, the KM3NeT neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean, the Virgo interferometer in Pisa, the XENON Dark Matter detector in Gran Sasso and the Pierre Auger cosmic rays observatory in Argentina. Nikhef is a collaboration between 5 major Dutch universities and the Nikhef research institute.
The successful candidates will work on the development of novel methods for analysing gravitational wave data from the LIGO and Virgo detectors, with a view on directly probing the structure of compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars. They will be members of the Virgo Collaboration, and will have full access to all Virgo and LIGO data.
A master degree in physics is required, and strong programming skills are highly desirable. The students will be employed by the NWO-I-foundation as junior scientists. They will receive a 4 year contract with a competitive salary. The conditions of employment of the NWO-I-foundation are excellent and can be found on the website of the employer: http://www.nwo-i.nl.
The educational programme of the Dutch research school for subatomic physics offers annual graduate schools for PhD students, as well as frequent series of lectures on advanced topics in (astro)particle physics.
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply through the online portal: https://www.nikhef.nl/en/vacancies/. Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae and have the email address ready of at least one referee who is willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf. The deadline for applications is May 15th, 2018.
Further information on these positions can be obtained from Prof. Dr. Chris Van Den Broeck (vdbroeck[AT]nikhef.nl).
PPGCosmo is an international PhD program on Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation that aims to give PhD students the opportunity to develop a successful international scientific career. The research topics range from theoretical to observational aspects of Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation, including participation in collaborations such as LIGO, Euclid, J-PAS and DES. PPGCosmo is a Brazilian program consisting of five institutions from Brazil and four institutions from outside Brazil.
The call for applications for four 4-year PhD positions starting in August 2018 is now open. The student will be supervised by a Professor at a Brazilian institution and co-supervised by a Professor at an institution outside Brazil. For the compulsory postgraduate courses the student will be mainly based in Vitória (Espirito Santo, Brazil). It is expected that the student will have opportunities to visit the other Brazilian participating institutions and the co-supervisor’s non-Brazilian institution.
Please go to http://ppgcosmo.cosmo-ufes.org/home.html for further information.
The Relativity group at the University of Otago, New Zealand invites applications for a PhD position in General Relativity, in particular on the gravitational wave emissions of rotating neutron stars. The position comes with a 3-year scholarship which covers tuition fees as well as an annual stipend of 25000 NZD.
The position is related to a Catalyst:Seeding grant from the Royal Society of New Zealand to J. Frauendiener to work on neutron star mountains and their gravitational wave signals. The project is joint with Prof. Andrew Melatos (University of Melbourne, Australia) and Prof. Susan Scott (Australian National University, Canberra) both members of OzGrav, the Australian Centre of Research Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery.
We are looking for a motivated person with a degree equivalent to MSc or BSc(Hons) in Theoretical or Mathematical Physics. Good mathematical skills are essential. Prior research experience in General Relativity or relativistic astrophysics is desirable.
The starting date of the position is on 1.6.2018. The position will be open until filled.
Please send applications (including CV and certificates) or any enquiries to joergf[AT]maths.otago.ac.nz.
This PhD project is mainly devoted to the study of cosmological inhomogeneities in two different “bounce” scenarios, in which the classical Big Bang singularity is resolved by quantum effects. The first of these scenarios describes the Universe as a “condensate” of a large number of quantum atoms of geometry within the group field theory approach to quantum gravity. The second scenario uses symmetry-reduced models with in which the Universe can make a quantum transition from a contracting to an expanding phase. The project will study cosmological perturbations within these two bounce models, explore potential observational signatures, and focus on the connection to other bounce scenarios and formalisms for quantum cosmology, such as loop quantum cosmology or the no-boundary proposal for quantum cosmology.
The PhD studentship is associated to the Royal Society University Research Fellowship project “Addressing the Big Bang singularity in quantum gravity and quantum cosmology” by Dr Steffen Gielen.
We are looking for an enthusiastic applicant with a first class degree in Theoretical/Mathematical Physics or equivalent (strong mathematical background is essential), preferably at MSc/MMath level, or equivalent non-UK degree. Candidates with a 2:1 degree can be considered in exceptional cases. Prior research experience in quantum cosmology or cosmological perturbation theory would be an advantage, but is not essential.
The studentship is for four years, and covers tuition fees at the Home/EU rate as well as a stipend of currently £14,553 per year.
Starting date can be October 2018 or earlier; the position will be open until filled.
Review of applications will begin shortly, so early application is strongly recommended. Please write to the email address above if you are interested in applying.
The Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics of the Nicolaus Copernicus University invites applications for a stipend for a three-year PhD student position in theoretical/observational inhomogeneous cosmology. A substantial fraction of the successful candidate’s research work will be expected to focus on the possible links between inhomogeneous cosmology and dark matter. The candidate’s main thesis research topic will be negotiated with his/her thesis supervisor.
The PhD stipend will be a part of the Theme 3: Theoretical investigation of general-relativistic effective contributions to dark matter fields of the A next-generation worldwide quantum sensor network with optical atomic clocks project, carried out within the TEAM programme of the Foundation for Polish Science.
More info and how to apply: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/278460
The Institute of Theoretical Physics IFT UAM-CSIC in Madrid (Spain) is offering a PhD position in theoretical cosmology
The position will have a duration of 3 years and is funded by an “Atraccion de Talento Investigador” grant awarded by the regional government of Madrid to Dr. Guillermo Ballesteros. An eventual extension of the position to a fourth year will be subject to the availability of funding.
The position should begin in autumn 2018, although the starting date is flexible. Candidates interested in topics such as inflation, dark energy, dark matter and wanting to work at the interface between cosmology and particle physics are encouraged to apply. They must hold an M. Sc. (or an equivalent degree) by their intended starting date.
Applications (in PDF format) can be sent by e-mail to guillermo.ballesteros[AT]uam.es with the subject “PhD-IFT-MAD Application”. They must contain: a curriculum vitae, a transcript of academic records and a brief statement of motivation, research interests and previous research experience. Two reference letters should be sent separately to the same e-mail address, with the subject “PhD-IFT-MAD Reference + name of the applicant”.
Review of applications will start around the 5th of April, but applications that arrive after this date will also be considered.
Candidates who have recently applied for a SO(IFT) PhD position do not need to send their materials again, but should write an e-mail indicating their interest in this new position.
Knowledge of Spanish language is not needed, but a good command of English is required.
Enquires about the position can be sent to guillermo.ballesteros[AT]uam.es
The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute, AEI) is a leading research institute in the world specializing in gravitational physics. Around 200 international scientists work at the research labs and offices located in Potsdam-Golm and Hannover, Germany. The working language is English.
The Albert Einstein Institute in Hannover plays a central role in the analysis and interpretation of the ground-breaking observations of gravitational waves. More information can be found at https://www.aei.mpg.de/18636/05_Observational_Relativity_and_Cosmology and https://www.aei.mpg.de/24934/04_Continuous_Waves. The institute prides itself of a very lively environment and world-class computing facilities.
We are inviting applications for outstanding Post-Docs and graduate students (Ph.D. students) interested in joining our efforts to detect continuous gravitational waves. These are waves that have not yet been detected, expected from fast rotating compact objects. The detection problem is possibly one of the most challenging across the various types of GW signals, with the data analysis procedures effectively increasing the detector sensitivity by a significant amount. The group at AEI is the largest group world-wide devoted to this endeavour, designing and carrying out the deepest searches and deploying them on in-house computing resources and on the Einstein[AT]Home volunteer commuting project.
The ideal candidate should have an excellent track record, programming experience, have worked with data, be creative, interested in astronomy and astrophysics, enthusiastic and should like to work in a team. Prior experience with gravitational wave data is not required.
The initial appointment will be for two years with the possibility, upon satisfactory performance, of an extension.
Applications should comprise a CV, publication list and a brief research statement. They should be submitted by email to jobs-gw-han[AT]aei.mpg.de indicating “CW post doc application” or “CW PhD student application” in the subject line. Candidates should also arrange that three letters of reference be sent to jobs-gw-han[AT]aei.mpg.de. Applications will be considered as they are received. The start date is flexible but preferably before the end of September 2018.
PhD scholarships are available at the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center in Warsaw, Poland. In particular there are projects available in the neutron star group, on neutron star superfluidity and pulsar glitches and on gravitational wave emission in neutron stars, both under the supervision of Dr Brynmor Haskell.
The Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center is one of the leading astronomical institutes in Poland, and the neutron star group is involved in cutting edge research on the equation of state of dense matter, neutron star superfluidity, gravitational wave detection and pulsar glitches.The neutron star group is currently composed of 4 staff members (Pawel Haensel, Leszek Zdunik, Michal Bejger and Brynmor Haskell), 4 postdocs and 3 students.
Warsaw is a vibrant European capital, rich in history and culture, and well connected to other European and international destinations by rail, road and air.
A detailed description of the projects, together with instructions to apply, can be found on the website: https://www.camk.edu.pl/en/phd/
Applications must be received by the Nicolaus Copernicus Institute before March 25th 2018. Applicants are, however, encouraged to contact Brynmor Haskell (bhaskell[AT]camk.edu.pl) well in advance, to discuss potential projects.
PPGCosmo is an international PhD program on Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation that aims to give PhD students the opportunity to develop a successful international scientific career. The research topics range from theoretical to observational aspects of Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation, including participation in collaborations such as LIGO, Euclid, J-PAS and DES. PPGCosmo is a Brazilian program consisting of five institutions from Brazil and four institutions from outside Brazil.
Four 4-year PhD positions are now available starting in mid-March 2018. The student will be supervised by a Professor at a Brazilian institution and co-supervised by a Professor at an institution outside Brazil. For the compulsory postgraduate courses the student will be mainly based in Vitoria (Espirito Santo, Brazil). The student will have opportunities to visit the other Brazilian participating institutions and will have to spend one year at the co-supervisor’s non-Brazilian institution.
Please go to http://ppgcosmo.cosmo-ufes.org/home.html for further information.
Giulio Rampa PhD Thesis Prize for Outstanding Research in General Relativity and Gravitational Physics
2018 Edition
Call for nominations
A graduate of the University of Pavia, Giulio Rampa, in his short life, had a profound impact on his fellow students and the faculty of the Department of Physics of the University of Pavia. Following his Master in Physics, he soon entered The Graduate School at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, (Albert Einstein Institute), Potsdam where he became deeply interested in general relativity. Known for his remarkable personality, as well as for his outstanding intellectual potential, Giulio Rampa’s life is celebrated through this prize honouring an outstanding PhD Thesis in general relativity or gravitational physics.
A monetary prize of 2,000 EUR will be awarded every two years to a graduate student for outstanding research on all aspects of general relativity or gravitational physics. The prize has been established in 2011, and is endowed under the terms of a donation from Nadia and Giorgio Rampa.
Exceptionally, for the 2018 edition, the Rampa Prize Committee has decided to award two net monetary prizes of 2,000 EUR.
Any Ph.D. student who graduated in a University or research centre worldwide defending a PhD Thesis on all aspects of general relativity or gravitational physics between January 1st 2016 and December 31st 2017 is eligible to be nominated for this prize.
The nominator should submit – preferably via email – all relevant material described below to the following address:
Secretariat of The Rampa Prize Committee,
c/o Department of Physics,
Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
e-mail: rampa.prize[AT]pv.infn.it
The candidature material should comprise: 1) a one-page abstract of the PhD Thesis; 2) a full copy of the PhD Thesis; 3) a letter of recommendation from the Thesis Advisor; 4) one or more letters of endorsement – possibly from the Thesis reader – substantiating the candidate’s contributions; 5) a complete C.V. All of the material should be submitted no later than March 31st, 2018. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
The following criteria are reviewed when selecting the Giulio Rampa prize recipient: (i) Originality of Contribution, (ii) Breadth of Work, (iii) Publications, (iv) Quality of Nomination, (v) Quality of Endorsement.
The recipients of the prize are to be selected by a committee of international experts whose resolution will be communicated to the winners by June the 30th, 2018.
The prizes will be presented at the 23rd edition of the “Italian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation (SIGRAV) Conference” to be held at the Hotel Flamingo in Santa Margherita di Pula, (Cagliari), Italy, 9-15 September 2018 (http://sigrav2018.ca.infn.it). This is the biennial Conference of the Italian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation (SIGRAV) devoted to all aspects of gravitational physics. The Rampa Prize-winners will have the opportunity to present their work during a special session of the conference. The winners will also be announced during the annual Honours Ceremony during the Inauguration of the Graduate Studies Academic Year in Pavia, in December 2018.
Further information is available at:
http://www-2.unipv.it/dottorati/scienzeetecnologie/fisica/n/web_PhD/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=14&Itemid=106&lang=it
The numerical relativity group at the University of Jena anticipates the availability of a PhD position in April 2018.
The position is associated with the research group of Prof. Bernd Bruegmann at the TPI Jena. There is the opportunity to participate in a wide range of research activities. Applicants with a background in numerical relativity, especially in the area of gravitational wave science or associated computational and mathematical methods are especially encouraged to apply.
Please submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae with a list of publications, a brief description of research interests, and a list of three potential referees, who may be contacted separately.
Applications should be received no later than January 22, 2018, but applications will be considered until the position is filled. In a situation where two candidates have otherwise equal qualifications, preference will be given to women, minorities, and handicapped applicants.
Please send applications referring to Reg.-Nr. 364/2017 to:
lisann.schmidt[AT]uni-jena.de
Lisann Schmidt
Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Jena
Max Wien Platz 1
D-07743 Jena
Germany
The gravity group at the University of New Brunswick (www.math.unb.ca/~gravity/) is seeking students to begin masters (MSc) or doctoral studies (PhD) in September 2018 (or sooner). Applicants should have a degree in physics or mathematics from a recognized university.
The group consists of three faculty members: Viqar Husain, Sanjeev Seahra and Edward Wilson-Ewing. Typically, the group also includes 1-2 postdoctoral researchers, 2-4 graduates students and 1-3 undergraduate student members. Our main areas of research are general relativity and its modifications, quantum gravity and cosmology.
Please submit a complete CV, a cover letter describing your research interests, and a copy of your academic transcripts to MathJobs.org (link above at “External Link”). Additionally, you may also submit a publication list and arrange for up to three referees to submit reference letters to MathJobs.org directly. Informal enquires may be directed to any gravity group faculty member. Applications received by January 31, 2018 will receive full consideration, although later applications may also be considered.
The DFG Research Training Group ‘Models of Gravity’ invites applications for positions of Research Assistants, Salary Group (Entgeltgruppe) 13 TV-L 66%, to be appointed April 1, 2018. The positions are limited up to three years.
The Research Training Group consists of gravity groups working at the Universities of Bremen, Oldenburg, Bielefeld, Hannover, Copenhagen, as well as at the Jacobs University Bremen. We intend to obtain a better understanding of Einstein’s General Relativity and of generalised theories of gravity as given by, e.g., string theory. These investigations are also related to observations. More information can be found on the website http://www.models-of-gravity.org
Responsibilities and Duties:
The successful applicants will have the opportunity to work towards a doctoral degree in Gravitational Physics. They are expected to contribute to the teaching programme of the Research Training Group.
Employment conditions:
To qualify for the position, applicants must hold a Master’s degree or a Diploma in Physics, Mathematics or any other relevant discipline, with an above-average success in the present courses of studies. We expect high dedication and teamwork.
All participating universities aim, in particular, to promote women within the scope of the statutory provisions and, hence, emphatically invite qualified women to apply for these positions. Severely disabled applicants are given preferential consideration in the event of equal qualification. Applicants with a migration background are highly welcome.
Application:
The application with a curriculum vitae, certifications, a description of the scientific interest, a conception of the own career, and, if applicable, a list of publications should be sent as one single pdf document via field e-mail to secretariat@models-of-gravity.org
Also two letters of reference should be sent. Closing date is December 15, 2017, although applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.
We are selecting a motivated candidate for the Joint Phd Program between Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech, Shenzhen, China) and Hong Kong Science and Technology University and Institute of Advanced Studies (HKUST and IAS, Hong Kong, China). The PhD candidate is suppose to start the program next academic year (September 2018) and the completion of the program will take 4 years. We are particularly interested in candidates with advanced knowledge of General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory.
Title of the project: Classical and Quantum Gravity, String Theory, and Cosmology.
Research Plan — The candidate is suppose to address the cosmological implications of effective string field theory and/or a class of nonlocal gravitational theories finite and unitary at quantum level. Two are the main issues to address: the cosmological constant’s problem and the physics of the early Universe. The consistent theories mentioned above should provide a mechanism for fixing the cosmological constant to the observed value and solve the problem of the initial Big Bang singularity, while also provide a natural mechanism for inflation. Since the nearby location of the two Universities the student will be co-supervised by both the supervisors during the all duration of the PhD program. However, the Phd candidate will have also to attend courses and other duties if required by the agreement of the two Universities: HKUST and SUSTech.
In the first two years we will mostly concentrate on the Dark energy problem and possibly Dark matter problem, while in the second part of the Phd program we will focused on inflations and the computation of two and eventually three point correlation’s functions.
The candidate will work under the supervision Prof. Henry Tye (HKUST and IAS) and Prof. Leonardo Modesto (SUSTech). The Gravitational and High Energy Physics at SUSTech consist on 1 Research Associate Professor, 3 PostDocs, and several undergraduate students.
Interested candidates should send their CV (including, among other things, date of birth and nationality) and a short statement of research interests and/or experience to:
Prof. Leonardo Modesto
E-mail: lmodesto[AT]sustc.edu.cn
Please arrange also at least 2 recommendation letters to be sent separately to the same email address.
Applications received by November 30 will receive full consideration.
The Virgo group at Nikhef has an opening for a PhD student in gravitational wave data analysis.
Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands, where approximately 175 physicists and 75 technical staff members work together in an open and international scientific environment. Together they perform excellent theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle and astroparticle physics. Among the research collaborations Nikhef participates in are the ATLAS, LHCb and ALICE experiments at CERN, the KM3NeT neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean, the Virgo interferometer in Pisa, the XENON Dark Matter detector in Gran Sasso and the Pierre Auger cosmic rays observatory in Argentina. Nikhef is a collaboration between 5 major Dutch universities and the Nikhef research institute.
The successful candidate will work on the development of novel methods for analysing gravitational wave data from the LIGO and Virgo detectors, with a view on directly probing the structure of compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars. Understanding the neutron star equation of state is a major open problem in astrophysics, which can now be addressed by studying gravitational wave signals from binary neutron star mergers. The student will work on this as part a collaborative effort of the Virgo and ALICE groups at Nikhef. He or she will be a member of the Virgo Collaboration, and will have full access to all Virgo and LIGO data.
The successful candidate has a master in physics. Strong software skills are highly desirable. The student will be employed by the NWO-I-foundation as a junior scientist. He or she will receive a 4 year contract with a competitive salary. The conditions of employment of the NWO-I-foundation are excellent and can be found on the website of the employer: http://www.nwo-i.nl.
The educational programme of the Dutch research school for subatomic physics offers annual graduate schools for PhD students, as well as frequent series of lectures on advanced topics in (astro)particle physics.
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply through the online portal: https://www.nikhef.nl/jobs/vacatures/. Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae and have the email address ready of at least one referee who is willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf. The deadline for applications is January 3rd, 2018.
Further information on this position can be obtained from Prof. Dr. Chris Van Den Broeck (vdbroeck@nikhef.nl).
Ph.D. and postdoctoral positions in Gravitational Wave Astrophysics at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam
The “Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity” division at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute, www.aei.mpg.de) in Potsdam announces the opening of several postdoctoral appointments and Ph.D. positions. The postdoctoral positions will be available at different levels, depending on experience and seniority, and can last for different number of years.
The division (www.aei.mpg.de/1282161/Astrophysical_and_Cosmological_Relativity) led by Dr. Alessandra Buonanno, is currently composed of 21 scientists, and one research group leader, Dr. Harald Pfeiffer. The division also hosts several long and short-term visitors.
The “Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity” division focuses on several aspects of gravitational-wave physics and astrophysics, including (i) theoretical gravitational dynamics and radiation (effective field theory, post-Newtonian theory, gravitational self-force approach, perturbation theory and effective-one-body formalism), (ii) numerical relativity, most notably simulations of binary black holes and binary neutron stars, (iii) interpretation and analysis of data from gravitational-wave detectors on the ground (LIGO and Virgo) and in space (LISA), (iv) astrophysics of compact objects, (v) cosmography with gravitational waves from binary systems, and (vi) tests of strong gravity within General Relativity and alternative gravity theories. Members of the division have the opportunity to join the LIGO Scientific Collaboration through the group’s membership, the LISA Consortium, and also participate to building the science case for third generation ground-based detectors (Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer).
The “Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity” division has two high-performance computer clusters (Minerva and Vulcan) to run numerical-relativity simulations, and to carry out source modelling and data-analysis studies.
The “Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity” division has ties with the Physics Department at the University of Maryland, the Humboldt University in Berlin, and the University of Potsdam.
For more information, a list of required documentation, and submission links to both postdoctoral and Ph.D. positions, please go to: www.aei.mpg.de/gwjobs2018
The “Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity” division also offers Max Planck Fellowships to non-German scientists. Information on those fellowships and explanations on how to apply are summarized at: www.aei.mpg.de/maxplanckfellowships
Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The deadline for full consideration for both Ph.D. and postdoctoral positions is, December 15th, 2017. The positions are available as early as Spring 2018, but they can also start later, in Fall 2018. Applications will be considered until all positions are filled.
The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics is an equal opportunity employer, and is committed to provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability.
For further information please contact Dr. Andre Schirotzek: andre.schirotzek[AT]aei.mpg.de
The high energy astrophysics group at Fudan University (Shanghai, China) has a few PhD positions for the next academic year (starting in September 2018). The successful candidates must have a Master degree in Physics or in a related area before September 2018. Courses and research are conducted in English. The PhD program normally lasts for 3 years, but it can be extended to 4-5 years.
We are particularly interested in candidates with interest/experience in:
1) X-ray data analysis of black holes (in particular for spin measurements)
2) Astrophysical codes (fortran, C/C++, python)
We will also consider applications from candidates interested in other lines of research in high energy astrophysics, as well as from candidates interested in theoretical aspects of general relativity and alternative theories of gravity.
The group is led by Prof. Cosimo Bambi and currently consists of 2 postdoctoral researchers and several graduate and undergraduate students. More details on the possible projects can be found on the group webpage.
Interested candidates should send their CV (including, among other things, date of birth and nationality) and a short statement of research interests and/or experience to:
Prof. Cosimo Bambi
E-mail: bambi[AT]fudan.edu.cn
Please arrange also at least 2 recommendation letters to be sent separately to the same email address.
Applications received by November 30 will receive full consideration.
The Department of Mathematical, Physical and Computer Sciences [1] at the University of Parma [2] invites applications for its Ph.D. program. The Ph.D. fellowships start November 1st 2017 and have a duration of 3 years.
The Ph.D. program covers several scientific areas in theoretical physics, including Cosmology, Gravitational physics, Numerical Relativity, Gravitational Waves, Fundamental interactions at high energy, Quantum Field Theory, Lattice Field Theory and Strings, Statistical Physics, Quantum Mechanics and Complex Systems. (See [3] for a summary of the research activity of the Theoretical Physics group).
The submission deadline is September 5th 2017. In the application the candidate must indicate the main research topic (and a second-priority choice) amongst the research topics proposed by the Research Doctorate Program in Physics at the Department of Mathematical, Physical and Computer Sciences. The selection will be based on the curriculum of the candidate and an interview. The interview will focus on the previous research experience and on the research project that the candidate proposes.
Details of the call, on-line application, list of research topics and selection procedures can be found at: http://smfi.unipr.it/it/node/2349
For more information please contact Prof. Cristiano Viappiani (cristiano.viappiani[AT]unipr.it) and Prof. Luca Griguolo (luca.griguolo[AT]unipr.it).
Other links:
[1] http://smfi.unipr.it/it
[2] http://en.unipr.it/
[3] http://www.pr.infn.it/
The International Relativistic Astrophysics Ph.D. (IRAP PhD) – Joint Doctorate Program sponsored by ICRANet.
A deadline of 30th September 2017 has been established for eight positions open internationally and directly sponsored by the participating institutions.
The coordinated effort of many international organizations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), has led to an unprecedented amount of scientific information from the microphysical world all the way to the entire Universe. To harvest the results of these scientific missions, a specific Ph. D. program has been envisaged in order to involve the students in the analysis and modeling of the above observational data within the theory of general relativity and relativistic quantum and classical field theories.
The students will also be involved in innovative experimental programs in relativistic astrophysics. The program provides expertise in the most advanced topics of experimental, mathematical and theoretical physics relevant to the context of astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology. These activities, being necessarily international, the scientific and academic institutions, indicated below, participate with their own specific scientific specialties and a joint degree is delivered, at the end of the program.
The Institutions participating in the IRAP PhD are: the international organization ICRANet (Pescara, Rio de Janeiro and Rome) as coordinating institution and the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis as the host Institution; the Albert Einstein Institute, Potsdam (Germany); Indian Centre for Space Physics, Kolkata (India); Observatoire de la Cote D’Azur, Nice (France); University of Ferrara (Italy); University of Rome, la Sapienza (Italy); University of Savoie, Annecy (France).
The Final Ph.D. degree will be jointly delivered by the Academic Institutions participating in the program.
We encourage applications from the best candidates worldwide, independent of nationality, gender or background.
The Courses: Each student will have to follow 180 hours of courses during the three years of the Ph.D. program. There is also a possibility to follow courses from other Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy and Astrophysics Ph.D. programs in each participating institution, after approval by the Faculty.
Courses can be chosen from the following list:
ULTRA-LONG GAMMA RAY BURSTS
Lorenzo AMATI (INAF-IASF Bologna)
Carlo Luciano BIANCO (SAPIENZA-Rome and ICRANet)
Michel BOER (UNICE-France)
Luca IZZO (Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia)
HIGH ENERGY PHENOMENA IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI (a specialized ICRANet workshop)
Ulisses Barres de Almeida (CBPF/MCT Rio)
Alessandro DE ANGELIS (Univ. Udine-Italy)
Razmik MIRZOYAN (Max-Planck Institute for Physics)
Narek SAHAKYAN (ICRANet-Armenia)
Marco TAVANI (INAF-IASF Rome)
SINGULARITIES, BKL COSMOLOGY, HIDDEN SYMMETRIES IN GRAVITY AND BLACK HOLE HAIRS (a specialized ICRANet workshop)
Vladimir BELINSKI (SAPIENZA-Rome and ICRANet)
Stephen HAWKING (University of Cambridge)
Hermann NICOLAI (MPIG-Einstein Institut)
Malcolm PERRY (University of Cambridge)
Andrew STROMINGER (Harvard University)
RELATIVISTIC QUANTUM FIELD THEORIES
Giovanni AMELINO-CAMELIA (SAPIENZA-Rome)
Johannes BLUEMLEIN (DESY and FU Berlin)
M. K.-H. KIESSLING (Rutgers)
Hagen KLEINERT (FU Berlin and ICRANet)
A.S.TAHVILDAR-ZADEH (Rutgers)
ACCRETION ON BLACK HOLES AND NEUTRON STARS
Sandip CHAKRABARTI (SNBNCBS/ICSP-KOLKATA)
Xiaohui FAN (UA and Tucson)
Marcelo Moraes GUZZO (UNICAMP)
Grant MATHEWS (CANDU -USA)
GENERAL RELATIVITY
Donato BINI (CNR and ICRANet)
Bruno Carneiro DA CUNHA (UFPE-Recife)
Jutta KUNZ (Univ. Oldenburg-Germany)
Volker PERLICK (Univ. of Bremen-Germany)
SUPERNOVAE AND GAMMA RAY BURSTS (a specialized ICRANet workshop)
Alessandro CHIEFFI (INAF-IAPS)
Massimo DELLA VALLE (INAF-Naples and ICRANet)
Christopher FRYER (LANL-USA)
Georges MEYNET (Obs. UNIGE-Geneva)
Remo RUFFINI (SAPIENZA-Rome and ICRANet)
Patrick YOUNG (Arizona State University)
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES: THEORY AND DETECTION
Sergio FRASCA (SAPIENZA-Rome)
Paola LEACI (SAPIENZA-Rome)
Jorge RUEDA (SAPIENZA-Rome and ICRANet)
SPACE AND GROUND-BASED TESTS OF GENERAL RELATIVITY
Francis EVERITT and Paul WORDEN (Stanford University)
Claus LAEMMERZAHL (University of Bremen)
Roberto PERON (INAF-Rome)
Costantino SIGISMONDI (ON Rio and ICRANet)
LARGE SCALE STRUCTURE AND DARK MATTER
Carlos ARGUELLES (University of La Plata and ICRANet)
Andreas KRUT (ICRANet)
Nikolaos MAVROMATOS (King’s College London)
Fulvio MELIA (University of Arizona)
Marco MERAFINA (Sapienza-Rome)
Francois MIGNARD (Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur)
Piero ROSATI (University of Ferrara)
X/GAMMA-RAY INSTRUMENTATION
Filippo FRONTERA (University of Ferrara)
Shuangnan ZHANG (IHEP – Chinese Academy of Science)
MULTIWAVELENGTH AND TIME-DOMAIN DATA ANALYSIS IN ASTROPHYSICS
Bernardo FRAGA (ICRANet)
Paolo GIOMMI (ASI-ASDC Rome)
Mauro ORLANDINI (University of Ferrara)
Ron SHELLARD (CBPF)
Bruno SVERSUT ARSIOLI (UNICAMP and ICRANet-Rio)
ON BLACK HOLES AND POSITIVE ENERGY(a specialized ICRANet workshop)
Demetrios CHRISTODOULOU (ETH)
Roy KERR (ICRANet)
Remo Ruffini (ICRANet)
Hernando QUEVEDO (UNAM-Mexico)
Mu-Tao WANG (Columbia University)
Shing-Tung YAU (Harvard University
James YORK (Cornell University)
GAMMA RAY BURST THEORIES AND OBSERVATIONS
Pascal CHARDONNET (University of Savoie and ICRANet)
Marco MUCCINO (SAPIENZA-Rome and ICRANet)
Ana PENACCHIONI (University of Siena)
Tsvi PIRAN (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Giovanni PISANI (SAPIENZA-Rome and ICRANet)
Bing ZHANG (University of Nevada)
WHITE DWARFS, NEUTRONS STARS, BOSON STARS: OBSERVATIONS AND THEORY (a specialized ICRANet workshop)
Robert FISHER (University of Massachussets Darmouth)
S.O. KEPLER (UFRGS-Brazil)
Manuel MALHEIRO (ITA Brazil)
Jorge RUEDA (SAPIENZA-Rome and ICRANet)
RELATIVISTIC KINETIC THEORY, STRONG COUPLING QED AND ELECTRON-POSITRON PLASMA
Alexey AKSENOV (ICAD, RAS-Moscow)
Antonino DI PIAZZA and Christoph H. KEITEL (MPIK)
Gregory VERESHCHAGIN (SAPIENZA-Rome and ICRANet)
She-Sheng XUE (SAPIENZA-Rome and ICRANet)
IRAP PhD FACULTY
Giovanni Amelino-Camelia (Sapienza Universita’ di Roma), Stefano Ansoldi (Universita’ degli Studi di Udine), Ulisses Barres de Almeida (Brazilian Centre For Physics Research, Brazil), Vladimir Belinski (Sapienza Universita’ di Roma and ICRANet), Carlo Luciano Bianco (Sapienza Universita’ di Roma and ICRANet), Donato Bini (CNR – Ist. per Applicaz. del Calcolo “M. Picone”), Sandip Kumar Chakrabarti (Indian Centre For Space Physics, India), Pascal Chardonnet (Universite’ de Savoie), Christian Cherubini (Universita’ “Campus Biomedico” di Roma), Thibault Damour (Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques), Andreas Eckart (University of Cologne), Jaan Einasto (Tartu Observatory), Sergio Frasca (Sapienza Universita’ di Roma), Filippo Frontera (Universita’ di Ferrara), Jean-Marc Gambaudo (Universite’ de Nice Sophia Antipolis), Paolo Giommi (ASI – Agenzia Spaziale Italiana), Domenico Giulini (Univesity of Bremen), Rodion Groll (Univesity of Bremen), Eva Hackmann (University of Bremen), Luis Herrera (University of Salamanca), Yipeng Jing (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, China), Hagen Kleinert (Freie Universitat Berlin), Michael Kramer (Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy), Jutta Kunz-Drolshagen (Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg), Luca Lamagna (University of Rome Sapienza), Claus Laemmerzahl (Universitaet Bremen), Thierry M. Lanz (Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur), Paola Leaci (Sapienza Universita’ di Roma), Francois Mignard (Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur), Hermann Nicolai (Max Plank Institute for Gravitational Physics, Postdam), Luis Alberto Nunez de Villavicencio Martinez (Universidad Industrial de Santander), Jorge Rueda (Sapienza Universita’ di Roma and ICRANet), Remo Ruffini (Director) (Sapienza Universita’ di Roma and ICRANet), Felix Ryde (Stockholm University), Narek Sahakyan (ICRANet-Armenia), Yakov Shnir (Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics), Gregory Vereshchagin (Sapienza Universita’ di Roma and ICRANet), She Sheng Xue (Sapienza Universita’ di Roma and ICRANet), Shuangnan Zhang (Institute of High Energy Physics – Chinese Academy of Science)
More information at http://www.icranet.org/irap-phd
The Physics department of the University of Trento invites applications for PhD fellowships starting in November 2017.
The PhD fellowships have a duration of 3 years and a gross salary of 13638.47 EUR per year (about 1000 EUR per month after taxes).
The PhD program covers several scientific areas, including also Theoretical and Computational Physics. More details about the doctoral school in Physics can be found at http://web.unitn.it/en/drphys
The Department of Physics includes faculty members working on computational astrophysics (Giacomazzo), nuclear astrophysics (Leidemann, Lovato, Pederiva), gravitational wave detectors (Dolesi, Perreca, Prodi, Vitale, Weber), theory of general relativity and cosmology (Rinaldi, Vanzo, Zerbini). Students with interests in one of these areas are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applications for the doctoral positions are accepted from candidates, regardless of gender, age, and nationality, who have a Master’s degree (equivalent to the Italian “laurea magistrale”). Any degree in Physics or related disciplines will be given preferential status. Applications are also accepted from students who expect to get their degree by October 31 2017.
The University of Trento is ranked among the top 5 universities in Italy and it is characterized by an international and diverse student population. The city of Trento is located on the Italian Dolomites and it is very well connected with several destinations in Italy and Europe.
The deadline for applications is August 30 2017 at 4 pm Italian time. The selection will be based on the curriculum of the candidate and on an oral exam (candidates permanently residing abroad by the date of the oral exam may take the exam by phone or videoconference in their country of residence).
More information about the application process can be found here: http://www.unitn.it/en/ateneo/1940/announcement-of-selection
One PhD studentship is open at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences at University of Barcelona (ICCUB). It is funded by the ERC Advanced Grant of Prof Roberto Emparan “A New Strategy for Gravity and Black Holes” (ERC2015AdG 692951 GravBHs).
The successful applicant will work directly with Prof Emparan on novel theoretical approaches to black hole physics and gravity. They will be members of a very active group doing research on many areas of gravitational theory, string theory and cosmology.
Candidates must hold an MSc or equivalent in a field that is closely related to theoretical physics, with excellent performance in General Relativity.
The start date is expected to be October 2017. The position will be funded for up to 4 years, and includes travel money.
Applications must be made online at the link below, and will contain a CV
Applications are invited for PhD projects at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.
Project 1: Fundamental physics from gravitational lensing of the CMB
The CMB is gravitationally lensed along its path to us and this signal contains information about early universe physics, the properties of neutrinos and dark energy, and dark matter distributions. The study of CMB lensing at high precision is therefore crucial for the success of future CMB cosmology. This studentship offers a leading role in this exciting new field at the interface of theoretical and observational cosmology. The research can span both novel theoretical development and innovative, computationally intensive data analysis for AdvancedACT and Simons Observatory.
Project 2: Investigating methods for optimal estimation of correlation functions on incomplete domains.
Realistic cosmological data sets have a restricted domain because of experimental effects and foregrounds. This means transforming to harmonic space to find correlation functions is complicated because harmonics are no longer orthogonal. This leads to mode coupling which increases error bars on cosmological observables. Recently we discovered that inpainting of masked regions significantly reduced this coupling allowing for almost optimal estimation of CMB power spectra. This project will apply this methodology to Planck CMB data producing new parameter constraints and then generalize to other data sets like galaxy surveys.
Project 3: Halo clustering and galaxy surveys
Galaxy and weak lensing surveys provide an unprecedented map of the late-time galaxy and matter distribution, which can be used to constrain fundamental physics. This requires an accurate understanding of the non-linearities in the matter distribution and the mapping from the matter to the galaxy formation sites. The latter can be achieved by studying the clustering of peaks in the initial Gaussian field and following the subsequent evolution using perturbation theory. This project will apply this to observational redshift space and statistics beyond two-point functions, like the bispectrum.
Project 4: Detecting new particles in the sky
This proposal will develop the tools to constrain signatures from massive particles in CMB maps.. Such particles are hypothesized in string theory and they have a well determined hierarchy. Interactions of these particles with the inflaton lead to unique signatures in the CMB, including sourcing non-Gaussianities that can be observed in temperature and polarisation measurements. The main outcome of this project will be the first analysis looking for massive particles in CMB polarisation data.
These studentships are part of new STFC Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Intensive Science. The four-year tenure includes training courses in the first year and a flexible six month placement with industrial partners. Applicants should have a masters in mathematics or physics (majoring in theoretical physics or astrophysics) and should be UK or EU nationals. Further information is available at the group website http://www.ctc.cam.ac.uk and preliminary enquiries can be made to contact potential supervisors through James Parke gr-secretary[AT]damtp.cam.ac.uk.
Please submit a formal PhD application to Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at
http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/how-do-i-apply and send an expression of interest email to grad-administrator[AT]maths.cam.ac.uk explaining which studentship you are interested in and why.
Closing date: 29th June 2017.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received. Offers may be made before the closing date.
The University values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity. The Department particularly welcomes applications from women.