PhD student in Space Physics

Description

The Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) is seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, in which two spacecraft will be inserted into orbit around Mercury in December 2026. The successful candidate will work within a research group that has contributed to the electric field instrument PWI/MEFISTO onboard the Japanese orbiter Mio.

The project is highly international and collaborative, involving researchers from several countries. The overarching scientific goal is to identify, map, and understand the key electrodynamic processes operating in Mercury’s space environment, with particular emphasis on the auroral regions. These studies will address how such processes are driven by intense solar radiation and solar wind interaction, how energy transport is guided by Mercury’s magnetic field, and how these processes couple to the planet’s surface.

Job description

The PhD project will focus on the analysis of in situ measurements from the two BepiColombo spacecraft orbiting Mercury. The research will investigate electrodynamic processes along magnetic field lines that couple to the auroral regions, which have been observed in X-ray emissions from ground-based observations. Specific topics may include the study of quasi-static electric potential structures and/or Alfvén wave cascade processes, and how these give rise to current systems that may ultimately couple to Mercury’s surface. 

Our team performs observations, data analysis, and modeling of space plasma processes (https://www.irf.se/en/research/space-plasma-physics/). The team has decades of experience developing and operating instruments to measure electric fields, plasma temperature, density, and density fluctuations for spacecraft missions (e.g., BepiColombo, Cluster, MMS, Swarm, Cassini, JUICE, Rosetta, Solar Orbiter, Comet Interceptor).

Job requirements

The position is available at the Uppsala office of the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), located at Ångström Laboratory in Uppsala, Sweden, starting at the latest in the second half of 2026 for a total duration of four years. The PhD student will be affiliated with the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University and must fulfill the university requirements. Information on research education is available at http://www.physics.uu.se and http://www.teknat.uu.se.

What we offer

We offer a workplace with flexible working hours, up to seven weeks of vacation per year, comprehensive healthcare, including wellness programs, and health benefits.

Equality, equal opportunity, and diversity are fundamental principles in our workplace. We work in an equality-integrated manner, meaning that gender and diversity aspects are considered in daily work and all decision-making processes.

The application should include the following:

1. A short (one-page) letter stating research interests and relevant experience,
2. CV,
3. Copies of academic transcripts,
4. Completed theses or manuscripts and other relevant publications,
5. Contact information for two professional references.