Alexandre Carlos Morgado Correia

University of Coimbra is advertising 1 fixed-term PhD Researcher position, equivalent to Assistant Researcher, in Astronomy with a subarea focus on Astrophysics, at the Centre for Physics (CFisUC), Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology. The work is embedded in the SPACE project, titled Monitoring, forecasting and control of the Earth’s space environment , and is financed by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under Project No. 14981 / COMPETE2030-FEDER-00860300. The research topic is strongly connected to space situational awareness and orbital mechanics. The appointed researcher will work on orbit determination for Resident Space Objects (RSOs) using the Theory of Functional Connections (TFC), orbit propagation tools, estimation of satellite collision probability, and the design of collision-mitigation and docking maneuvers, including for satellites equipped with solar sails. This is a full-time temporary public service contract based at the Department of Physics in Coimbra, Portugal. The position is open for 1 candidate and carries a gross monthly salary of 3,576.56 euros. The contract duration is up to 3 years, renewable yearly up to a maximum of 6 years. The competition follows Portuguese public employment rules and uses a two-stage evaluation: scientific background/CV (90%) and interview (10%). Only the top 4 candidates from the CV stage will be invited to interview. Eligibility requires a PhD in Astronomy, Astrophysics, or a closely related area, with demonstrated ability to contribute to the main scientific objectives. Applicants who are not native speakers of Portuguese or English must show CEFR C1 proficiency in at least one of those languages. Selected candidates with foreign doctoral degrees must present degree recognition or registration at contract signing. Applications must be submitted electronically via Apply UC. Required materials include a signed CV covering the last five years, qualification certificates, 3 to 6 representative papers, all other publications or DOI/URN identifiers, and any additional documents the applicant considers relevant. All application materials must be submitted by the deadline. The deadline is 12 November 2026 at 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon).

The University of Coimbra is advertising 1 PhD Researcher position equivalent to Junior Researcher in the scientific area of Astronomy , subarea Astrophysics , within CFisUC (Centre for Physics) at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra, Portugal. The post is part of the ENFORCER project (Reference: COMPETE2030-FEDER-03264900 , operation 26198) and is funded through FEDER under COMPETE 2030 / Portugal 2030 and the European Union. The contract is a specified-duration public service employment contract, full-time, with a gross monthly salary of 2,408.11 euros . The research work focuses on orbit determination and space object tracking . The successful candidate will integrate, adapt, and optimize open-source orbit determination software for radar and optical data; develop and validate an astrodynamics-based orbit determination algorithm using TFC, including hybrid solutions with stochastic filters such as EKF or UKF; and integrate and calibrate optical sensors while building an image-processing pipeline for detection, tracking, and characterization of space objects. This opportunity is aimed at highly qualified researchers with a PhD in Astronomy, Astrophysics, or a closely related area whose background demonstrates the ability to carry out advanced work in the core scientific field of the tender. The notice also requires applicants to meet standard public-employment suitability conditions and, for non-native speakers of Portuguese or English, a minimum C1 level in at least one of those languages. Applications must be submitted electronically via the Apply UC platform. Candidates must provide a dated and signed CV, qualification certificates, 3–6 representative papers, other publications listed in the CV, and any additional relevant documents. Foreign doctoral degrees must be recognized or registered by contract signing if selected. The application must be submitted in Portuguese or English (with limited exceptions for some supporting documents). The deadline is 28 August 2026 at 23:59 Lisbon time . The selection procedure uses CV/scientific background assessment (90%) and interview (10%), with only the top 4 candidates from the CV stage invited to interview. Location: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.