Jan 17, 2024
University of Amsterdam is seeking a PhD student to work with a world-leading team on the neutrino and gravitational-wave signatures of core-collapse supernovae. The position will entail work on modeling of core-collapse supernovae via general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations with the open-source Einstein Toolkit, extracting the expected neutrino and gravitational-wave signals from the simulations, and characterizing the detectability of these signals in state-of-the-art neutrino detector data pipelines. The position will be jointly supervised by Dr. Philipp Mösta and Prof. Dr. Patrick Decowski and embedded at the University of Amsterdam and Nikhef. Application deadline: February 3rd, 2024.
What are you going to do?
You will use the open-source general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics code GRaM-X to simulate a number of supernova explosions and extract the associated gravitational-wave and neutrino signatures. Initial work has shown promising correlations between these signals and you will investigate both classical neutrino-driven supernova explosions but also jet-driven explosions that have been shown to lead to louder gravitational-wave signals and therefore are more easily detectable with current and future gravitational-wave detectors.
You will then inject signals from a variety of these simulated supernova explosions into neutrino detector pipelines and test the physics we can extract from the signals. This project will allow you to identify the detectability of these signals andcorrelations and determine their suitability to probe source parameters of the supernova explosion mechanism and progenitor star in the state-of-the-art neutrino detectors KamLAND and XENON and current and future gravitational-wave detectors.
What do you have to offer?
- You have completed a MSc in physics and/or astronomy before starting this position.
- You have good programming skills in Python (and ideally C++).
- You can communicate well in English (written & oral).
Our offer
A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is to be agreed with the successful candidate (but which can be as soon as possible).. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,541 to € 3,247 (scale P). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.
Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:
- 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
- multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
- a complete educational program for PhD students;
- multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
- multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
- 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
- partly paid parental leave;
- the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
- a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
- the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
- help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.
Please find here full details.