José Luís Campos de Oliveira Santos

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).