Assistant Professor: Exoplanets and their stellar environments

Are you an enthusiastic astrophysicist with a strong interest in exoplanets, particularly in relation to their parent stars? Would you like to share your expertise and contribute to our academic community? Then this exciting opportunity to join our institute as an assistant professor could be of interest to you!

We are looking for an assistant professor on the topic of rocky exoplanets. As our department has strong expertise in stellar structure and evolution, the ideal candidate would have a strong interest and expertise in the relationship between rocky exoplanets and their parent stars. The chemical composition of the parent star is imprinted on that of rocky planets, which in turn is key input to understand the planets' interior structure, atmosphere, and evolution. Stellar activity impacts the stability and composition of planetary atmospheres. These factors are key to understanding the potential for life as we know it to emerge.

As an assistant professor, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the interdisciplinary environment at Radboud, encompassing plasma physics, stellar structure and evolution, planet formation, and atmospheric chemistry (including laboratory experiments at the FELIX laboratory), and to play a leading role in your research field and the education you provide. In addition to your research and teaching, you will supervise PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers and be asked to make a contribution to the department by taking on management tasks. Last but not least you will be encouraged to create societal impact by setting up collaborations with partners outside academia,
participating in advisory bodies, giving talks at schools and/or making media appearances.

You hold a PhD degree in Astrophysics or a related field and are an independent researcher in the area mentioned above. You have the drive to set up, supervise and support a thriving research group, including students and PhD candidates. You have a track record of publications in relevant international journals, invitations to conferences, and other scientific distinctions, commensurate with your career stage. You are a scientist who is able/willing to acquire external research funding. You are enthusiastic about teaching and eager to participate in our institute’s educational programmes. You communicate well with colleagues at all levels and like working in a team. You have an interest in communicating your science to wider society (e.g. in the form of science communication, science valorisation, or science policy).

The Faculty of Science is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a culturally diverse intellectual community, and as such encourages applications from women and minorities. For this position there is a strong preference for women and candidates from other underrepresented groups in the physical sciences.

• You will be employed on the basis of a temporary contract for 18 months with the prospect of a permanent contract in case of a positive evaluation of your performance.
• Your salary within salary scale 11 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• At the start of your employment you will be appointed as Assistant Professor level 2 (salary scale 11) on a career track towards promotion to Assistant Professor level 1 (salary scale 12, maximum € 6,737). The performance criteria and duration of the career track will be tailored to your background and track record.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Support Service. The Dual Career Programme assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. Our Family Support Service helps you and your partner feel welcome and at home by providing customised assistance in navigating local facilities, schools, and amenities. Also take a look at our support for international staff page to discover all our services for international employees.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

The Department of Astrophysics at Radboud University is part of the Institute of Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP) and has a strong track record in stellar physics, magnetic fields and particle acceleration. The department is building up an interdisciplinary link with the Institute for Molecules and Materials and FELIX Laboratory to understand the chemistry of planet formation and exoplanets and their atmospheres.

The new position will reinforce this link by focusing on the host star-planet relationship.
The vibrant and international department consists of 15 faculty, and approximately 15 postdoctoral researchers and engineers, 30 PhD candidates, and 10 MSc students. World-class research focuses on high-energy astrophysics, cosmic rays, black holes, gravitational waves, stellar and binary evolution, star and planet formation, exoplanets, star clusters, and the Milky Way. The department highly values team science, a safe working environment, and extensive links to society.