Oferty pracy w projektach finansowanych przez NCN
Narodowe Centrum Nauki prezentuje bazę ogłoszeń o wolnych stanowiskach pracy przy projektach finansowanych przez Centrum. Narodowe Centrum Nauki nie ponosi odpowiedzialności za treść i wiarygodność przesyłanych ofert pracy.
Uprzejmie informujemy o nowych warunkach zatrudniania osób na stanowiska typu post-doc: limit czasu upływającego od uzyskania stopnia doktora dla aplikujących na te stanowiska kobiet może być przedłużony o 1,5 roku za każde urodzone bądź przysposobione dziecko.
Oferta pracy
Nazwa stanowiska: PhD position on 'Generating Synthetic Observations of Star Clust
Wymagania:
The main requirement for this position is possession of a valid MSc degree in astrophysics, astronomy, physics, or a related discipline by the start date of the project.
Doctoral scholarship will be awarded provided that the PhD student meets the doctoral scholarship requirements laid down in the Act on Higher Education and Science of 20 July 2018 throughout the performance period of the tasks in the project (except when education at the doctoral school is suspended).
Additional desired qualifications include:
- Good programming skills (e.g., Python, Fortran, C, or C++);
- Familiarity with star cluster dynamics, stellar or binary evolution, observational astronomy, or photometric techniques;
- Proof of English proficiency that demonstrates excellent writing and communication skills, sufficient to work effectively in an international research environment.
Experience with observing star clusters and/or analyzing star cluster data will be considered an asset.
Candidates must submit a complete application, including:
1. The application for admission to the doctoral school together with GDPR statement (following this template: https://www.camk.edu.pl/media/uploads_current/studia_doktoranckie/application_form.docx).
2. A copy of their master’s/university and bachelor’s degree diplomas. In case master’s degree diploma is not yet available, it must be provided before the candidate is admitted to the school.
3. A transcript of grades (Bachelor and Master Courses).
4. A Curriculum Vitae including an education and employment records, list of publications, information on involvement in scientific activities – membership in scientific groups/societies, participation in scientific conferences, internships and training, awards and distinctions.
5. A letter of motivation containing a short description of the candidate's interests and scientific achievements, and justification of the intention to undertake education at the Doctoral School.
6. English language certificate(s), if available.
Please read the full text of the announcement on the institute's website [https://www.camk.edu.pl/pl/archiwum/2026/03/04/recruitment-20262027/], then use online form to submit a complete application before the application deadline (April 12th, 2026).
Understanding the dynamical evolution, stellar populations, and structural properties of dense star clusters requires a close connection between detailed numerical simulations and observational data. This PhD project aims to bridge this gap by generating realistic synthetic observations of star clusters based on state-of-the-art numerical simulations of their evolution.
The successful candidate will develop and apply advanced tools to produce synthetic photometric datasets from outputs of MOCCA and direct N-body simulations. These datasets will be used to construct colour–magnitude diagrams, light curves, surface brightness profiles, and astrometric measurements. The synthetic observables will be systematically compared with real data from both ground- and space-based facilities, including the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), JWST and Gaia.
The synthetic observations will be used to investigate key astrophysical phenomena in dense star clusters, including binary stars, blue stragglers, multiple stellar populations, and compact object binaries. In addition, the project will explore how synthetic photometric and astrometric signatures can be used to infer the presence of subsystems of stellar-mass black holes as well as intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in cluster centres.
This PhD project is part of a broader Polish National Science Centre (NCN) research project focused on linking simulations and observations of star clusters. The PhD student will work closely with the Principal Investigator (Dr. Abbas Askar) and a postdoctoral researcher developing complementary synthetic spectroscopic tools. In addition to developing synthetic observation pipelines, the student will gain hands-on experience in running, analysing, and interpreting numerical simulations of star cluster dynamical evolution.
The successful applicant will join a funded research team developing a comprehensive toolkit to produce and analyze realistic synthetic photometric observations from star cluster simulations and compare them with observational data. Specific responsibilities will include:
- Developing and automating pipelines to generate synthetic telescope images and extract photometric measurements from MOCCA and direct N-body simulation outputs;
- Simulating time-resolved observations to study stellar variability and orbital motions (e.g. eclipsing binaries, variable stars, and fast-moving stars);
- Analyzing synthetic data to determine global cluster properties, binary fractions and characteristics, internal structure, kinematics, mass functions, and mass segregation;
- Comparing synthetic observables with available observational results for Galactic and extragalactic star clusters;
- Contributing to the further development and validation of the MOCCA code, including systematic comparisons with direct N-body simulation;
- Publishing scientific results in peer-reviewed journals and presenting findings at international conferences.
Termin składania ofert: 12 kwietnia 2026, 23:59
Forma składania ofert: formularz rejestracyjny
Warunki zatrudnienia:
Grant fellowship (National Science Center SONATA grant no 2024/55/D/ST9/02585) for 3 years: 5000 PLN/month, gross gross, before the mid-term evaluation (ca. 3795 PLN/month net; years 1-2), 6500 PLN/month, gross gross, after positive mid-term evaluation (ca. 4933 PLN/month net; year 3), followed by a scholarship under general regulations for the remaining period, up to a total of four years. Funding is available for travel to conferences/workshops/schools and computing equipment.
Dodatkowe informacje:All documents, including scans, must be in PDF format and submitted by April 12th, 2026.
In addition to application documents given above, at least one recommendation letter should be sent directly by the referee to: phdstudies@camk.edu.pl, before the application deadline (April 12th).
The doctoral programme is carried out within the GeoPlanet Doctoral School, in which CAMK PAN is a leading institute. The programme lasts four years and begins on October 1, 2026. During this period, students are required to complete coursework and lectures (including interdisciplinary lectures), participate in seminars, and prepare their doctoral dissertation. All lectures and seminars are conducted in English. The regulations of the doctoral school, including the study programme, are available on the CAMK PAN web page.