Phd Student (scientific employee)

The Friedrich Schiller University Jena is a dynamic and innovation-driven university centrally located in Germany. With a broad range of disciplines, it shapes the future through excellent research and teaching. Its scientific excellence is reflected in the profile areas Light – Life – Liberty, which provide pioneering insights and sustainable solutions for the society of tomorrow. Through close collaborations with leading research institutions, innovative companies, and renowned cultural organizations, it advances interdisciplinary developments. With around 17,000 students and approximately 10,000 employees, it defines Jena as a vibrant, internationally connected city of science and innovation. The Astrophysical Institute and University Observatory seeks to fill the position of a PhD student (scientific employee) commencing on 2026 October 1 or soon later. We offer a part-time position (50%, 20 hours per week), offered as a fixed-term position for three years. The PhD position is available in the observational group at the Astrophysical Institute. We study nearby Galactic supernovae of the last few million years by tracing back neutron stars and runaway stars to young associations and supernova remnants to find evidence for supernovae in binaries; we use the new Gaia data for astrometry; for radial velocities, we use literature data and our own observations. Furthermore, we study historical observations of all cultures as key to solve current astrophysical problems like nova and supernova explosions and other long- and short-term variability phenomena of stars. All these projects are undertaken in close collaboration with national and international partners. The new PhD student is expected to participate in any of these research projects. See our web page https://www.astro.uni-jena.de (Stellar Physics and Terra-Astronomy) for details.