From mid-May 2024, the DIAS Planetary Magnetospheres group (dias.ie/planetary) is offering a 2-to-3-month studentship for a motivated candidate to work with the group on the topic of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Jupiter’s moon Europa is thought to harbour an underground ocean that might support life. It is the target of the European Space Agency’s JUpiter ICy moon Explorer (JUICE), which was launched in April 2023. Observations of Europa have hinted at the existence of water plumes venting water into space from the moons interior. These detections raise the exciting opportunity that upcoming missions such as ESA’s JUpiter ICy moon Explorer (JUICE), NASA’s Europa Clipper or future landers could sample the plumes and directly study the underground ocean. The goal of this project is to use an existing plume model developed in Python to simulate the motion of the plume particles, their deposition on the surface and their detection using particle detectors in preparation of JUICE, Europa Clipper or future landers.

The successful candidate should have a background in physics, astronomy, computer science, software engineering, or a related discipline, and have an interest in planetary science. Experience with Python, Linux, simulations and data analysis are a benefit, but there is also room in the project to improve on your programming and computing skills.

The successful candidate will be based at DIAS Dunsink Observatory in Dublin 15, and will have the opportunity to interact with scientists from across the Astronomy & Astrophysics Section at DIAS, whose research interests span magnetospheric physics, planetary science solar physics, star formation, high energy astrophysics, data analytics and machine learning.

At DIAS we are committed to building an inclusive scientific community, distinguished by scientific excellence, gender balance, and diversity. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds. The DIAS Gender Equality and Inclusion Action Plan may be found at dias.ie/about-us.

The successful candidate will receive a tax-free stipend of €1,500 per month. The closing date for applications is 17:00 Irish Summer Time on Thursday March 21st 2024. The application should consist of:

• a CV (max 2 pages)
• a cover letter (max 2 pages) detailing why you are interested in the role and why you would suit it

The application and letter should be submitted to the DIAS online recruitment system here by 17:00 on 21st March 2024. For questions about the internship please contact Hans Huybrighs at hans@cp.dias.ie.

We look forward to receiving your application!