The Space Research Laboratory (SRL) at the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the University of Turku invites applications for a three-year Project Researcher / Doctoral Researcher / Research Assistant position in space physics. The successful applicant will work in the AIPAD project, which is funded by the Research Council of Finland and is led by Dr. Nina Dresing in collaboration with the Department of Computing of the University of Turku.

AIPAD is a multidisciplinary project that merges spacecraft data with artificial intelligence to solve open questions on the generation of solar energetic particle (SEP) events. Explosive solar eruptions accelerate SEPs to high energies and can cause disruptions of GPS systems and pose serious risks to astronauts. While solar flares and shocks are known to drive these events, their relative contributions to SEP acceleration often remain a puzzle. AIPAD tackles this by developing innovative AI algorithms to fill observational gaps and predict SEP event observables aiming at ultimately revealing the underlying processes of SEP generation.

Job description

The position is hosted at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Space Research Laboratory (SRL). SRL conducts experimental and numerical work on solar eruptions, in particular on energetic particle eruptions that constitute a radiation threat for manned and unmanned spacecraft in near-Earth space and the interplanetary medium.

The successful candidate will work towards a PhD in space physics under the supervision of Dr. Nina Dresing. The project is a joint collaboration of SRL and the Algorithmics and Computational Intelligence research group at the Department of Computing.

The PhD project focuses on solar energetic particle (SEP) measurements by various space missions. Several instruments allow to measure SEP pitch-angle distributions (PADs) but most of these currently suffer from observation gaps. The goal of the project is to fill these gaps using machine learning methods.

Who we are looking for

We seek an excellent candidate, preferably with a Master’s degree in Physical or Computational sciences or another relevant field, and ideally with a background in space sciences. We value experience in data analysis of spacecraft observations as well as experience in the application of machine learning algorithms.

The qualification requirements of the positions are stated in the University of Turku rules of Procedure.

A person selected for the post of Project Researcher is required to have a higher university degree. When assessing the merits of the applicants, special emphasis will be placed on competence and practical expertise in the field in question. If the selected person is close to graduation (M.Sc. or equivalent), the employment contract will initially be signed as a Research Assistant.

A person selected for the post of Doctoral Researcher is required to have a right to pursue a doctoral degree. In addition, when acquiring their degree or otherwise, they are required to have demonstrated the ability to undertake postgraduate studies and the capacity to complete a doctoral degree in accordance with the research plan.

In this position, you should either have a study right for doctoral studies in University of Turku or you will apply for one in Autumn 2026. Thus, please check the student information and application criteria https://www.utu.fi/en/research/utugs/exactus. In particular, please pay attention to mandatory skill level in English.

The position requires working in Finland; the place of work is Turku.

We value collegiality and promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity. We encourage all qualified applicants with different backgrounds to apply for our open positions.