Staff Scientist Position at the Department of Physics

Umeå University is one of Sweden's largest institutions of higher education with over 37,000 students and approximately 4,700 employees. The university offers a variety of high-quality programs and world-leading research in several scientific fields, including the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campus makes it easy to meet, collaborate, and exchange knowledge, fostering a dynamic and open culture.

The societal transformation and significant green investments we see in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, this means conducting research on – and within – a transforming society. It is also about delivering education for regions that need to expand quickly and sustainably. This is where the future is created.

Interested in learning more? Read more here (https://www.umu.se/jobba-hos-oss/om-universitetet-som-arbetsplats/).

About the Position

The Department of Physics conducts strong and expanding research with various focuses, such as organic electronics, nanotechnology, photonics, space physics, and theoretical physics. The department is part of KBC, the Chemical Biological Center at Umeå University. We have a strong focus on interdisciplinary research and excellent access to modern instrumentation and analysis infrastructure.

The Department of Physics is announcing a position for a Staff Scientist for a project focused on space weather modeling.

The position is part-time 80% and is limited from 2025-06-15 to 2026-03-31.

Description and Responsibilities

The project is part of a larger initiative where we model and analyze space weather effects of rapidly varying currents in the ionosphere and how these may affect the Swedish power grid.

In this sub-project, you will develop and use a simulation model to study and analyze so-called geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) in the ground and in the Swedish power grid. The simulation model will utilize measured ground-based and space-based data. You will be responsible for validating the simulation model against measured data as well as against GICs calculated in other research studies. You will also be responsible for analyzing measured data from EISCAT 3D, satellites, and ground-based measurements to understand which aspects of the coupled solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere system may cause the most severe space weather effects. A special focus will be on data from the new international infrastructure EISCAT 3D, which is expected to provide new and valuable knowledge about space weather effects.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who is engaged and responsible and who is passionate about developing both as an individual researcher and as a member of a research group.

You have a PhD in physics, plasma physics, or another relevant field. Skills in analyzing satellite data are required, and you must have experience in plasma physics research in Earth's magnetosphere and solar wind, as well as experience working with GIC models and supercomputer simulations. If you have published in space science journals and have experience with machine learning, that is a merit. You must also have demonstrated a good ability to work independently and as part of a research group. Excellent skills in English, both spoken and written, are necessary.

Great emphasis will be placed on personal qualities such as collaboration and communication skills, as well as analytical ability. It is important that you have good initiative and the ability to work independently. The project is conducted in an international environment, and therefore very good competence in oral and written communication in English is required.

Application

The application may be written in Swedish or English and should include:

1. A cover letter with a clear description of your qualifications, research interests, and motivation for applying, as well as your experiences in the area specified in the project description above (1–3 pages).
2. CV with a publication list.
3. Copies of degree certificates.
4. A copy of the doctoral thesis.
5. Names and contact details of two referees.

For more information, please contact Associate Professor Maria Hamrin, maria.hamrin@space.umu.se (mailto:maria.hamrin@space.umu.se), tel: 090-7866036.

Applications should be submitted via the e-recruitment system Varbi and must be received by 2025-05-05.

Welcome with your application!

Umeå University aims to provide an equal and equitable environment where open discussions among people with different backgrounds and perspectives lay the foundation for learning, creativity, and development. Therefore, we welcome individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply for this position.

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