Doctoral programme

Tartu Observatory has launched a doctoral studies programme in Space Research and Technology.

The main application period will be from 1 to 15 May. Admission is open for the following research projects (scroll down for abstracts):

•     The response of lakes to changing climate: a combination of satellite and in situ data (supervisors Kersti Kangro, Krista Alikas)
•     Using dynamical friction to investigate the properties of dark matter (supervisors Rain Kipper, Elmo Tempel)
•     Cosmology with J-PAS superclusters (supervisors Antti Tamm, Lauri Juhan Liivamägi)
•     Comparison of traditional algorithms with neural-network algorithms for use on spacecraft (supervisors Mihkel Pajusalu, Rene Laufer)
•     Electric sail demonstration mission in the solar wind (supervisors Andris Slavinskis, Pekka Janhunen)

In the Faculty of Science and Technology, all candidates must submit a motivation letter and a CV in Dreamapply together with the application. Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the motivation letter and an entrance interview.

The maximum combined points score for the motivation letter and interview is 100, each giving up to 50 points. Candidates whose doctoral thesis project attained a mark of at least 70 per cent (35 points), are invited to an interview.

Doctoral students admitted to these projects will have employment contracts as a junior researcher. The expected workload is 1.0, and the expected work period is four years. The final workload will be set during the initial negotiations. The study module has been reduced to 30 EAP, the remaining 210 EAP will be filled with the doctoral student´s individual research plan.

Read more about status and funding of doctoral students.

Read more about language requirements.
 

Read more about thesis topics from Tartu Observatory.