NORDITA was founded in 1957 as a Nordic institute in theoretical (atomic) physics on the premises of the Niels Bohr Institute at Copenhagen University and is since 2006 in Stockholm under the auspices of Stockholm University (SU) and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). NORDITA is located at the AlbaNova University Center, situated in the immediate vicinity of the two universities.
There will be a PhD opening starting autumn 2026. The PhD is in the context of the "COSMOMAG" project, an ERC Synergy grant that we were awarded together with Axel Brandenburg [Nordita and Stockholm University (SU)], Andrii Neronov (Université Paris Cité) and Franco Vazza (Università di Bologna). The COSMOMAG project aims at pinning down the origin of cosmological magnetic fields by developing a unified framework tackling the problem from the initial conditions in the early universe up to observations in the present universe: we will study the magnetic field generation in the early universe, use numerical methods to evolve them throughout the universe and predict observable signatures today, to be tested mainly via gamma-ray, radio and gravitational waves observations.
In this context, the PhD position will be carried out under the joint supervision of Prof. Axel Brandenburg and myself, and the PhD student will be affiliated to the SU. Frequent visits to CERN and to the other nodes of COSMOMAG are to be envisaged for discussions and joint coordination of the PhD work. The PhD project consists in understanding the evolution of primordial magnetic fields before Recombination. The phenomenology of magnetic fields decay is still debated, and to firmly establish the correct decay laws, numerical simulations are essential. In this context, we will mainly use the Pencil Code to simulate the magnetic field evolution from generation to Recombination, complemented with analytical understanding to interpret the simulation results.
If this position interests you, please send an application containing your CV, the courses that you followed and grades, and one or two letters from senior supervisors (for example from your master project supervisor). Please send this material to Axel Brandenburg (email in Cc) and myself at your earliest convenience. Around the middle of February, you will be asked to apply to the official PhD website of SU; the announcement hasn’t come out yet, but we will keep you posted. Nordita as well as the Physics and Astronomy Departments are part of what is called the Oskar Klein Centre; see https://www.okc.albanova.se/ For your information, here are the relevant webpages at SU are: https://www.su.se/english/divisions/department-of-astronomy https://www.su.se/english/divisions/department-of-physics The decision will be made at some point in March/April. If this calendar doesn’t suit you for some reason, please let us know (but note that ultimately we will be obliged to follow it).
The PhD student will work on the production of gravitational waves through hydromagnetic turbulence in the early universe. The PhD project will address a number of topics including
The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Professor Axel Brandenburg at Nordita, which also enjoys close interaction with the Oskar Klein Centre. The PhD student working within this project will be formally enrolled at Stockholm University within the Department of Astronomy, but will have office space in one of the Nordita buildings. An extension to a fifth year is possible if the student takes up teaching or other duties at the department.
Qualifications. To be eligible for the PhD position you will need to have a completed Master's exam in physics or astronomy at the starting date. Other science degrees and other types of degrees such as a Swedish civil engineering degree or a Swedish magister degree, may also make you eligible.
Employment. The successful candidate will be supported as a PhD candidate at Nordita for 4 years. The position will start on 1 August 2020, or some other date agreed upon.
Application. The application should include a curriculum vitae together including a list of publications, 2 letters of recommendation, a verified list of courses with grades and a motivation why the applicant wants to pursue studies for a PhD at Nordita. The application deadline is 15 January 2020. The application should be filed though our web interface. In exceptional cases, you may also send your application via e-mail to brandenb@nordita.org, or send it to
Nordita
AlbaNova University Center
Attn: Axel Brandenburg
Roslagstullsbacken 23
10691 Stockholm
Sweden