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PhD in Astrophysics and Astroinformatics

Description

The PhD program in Astrophysics and Astroinformatics is part of what we are building as a graduate program of the Center for Research, Technology, Education and Astronomical Liaison (CITEVA), in articulation with the Master's program in Astronomy. It has three lines of research: astrophysics of galaxies, astrophysics of stellar systems and astroinformatics, which cover the different scales of the study of the universe combined with methodologies of astroinformatics, which achieves an approach in tune with the development of contemporary astrophysics and the future, unique in training programs in the country. This is a newly created program, aimed at anyone with a Bachelor's Degree, Engineer, Master's Degree or equivalent, with a background in Astrophysics, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or Computer Science, at a level, duration and content compatible with the requirements of the Program. The duration of the Program is eight semesters and requires the approval of 240 SCT (transferable credits system) in fundamental and complementary curricular activities for its approval. The academic staff is composed of a young, vibrant and active group of eight CITEVA faculty members with dynamic research projects, in addition to high-level collaborating and visiting professors from various institutions around the world. The PhD program will start its academic and administrative activities in March 2022.

General Objective:

  • To train researchers capable of leading cutting-edge research at the international level in Astrophysics and Astroinformatics and contribute to the transfer of this knowledge in the scientific and industrial environment.

Specific Objectives:

  • To deliver state-of-the-art knowledge in Astrophysics, contributing to the development of Astrophysics worldwide from the Antofagasta region where a large part of the world’s astronomical infrastructure is concentrated.
  • Deliver state-of-the-art knowledge in Astroinformatics, including the use of computational techniques to solve practical scientific questions.
  • Develop communication and teamwork skills in order to be able to transmit, orally and in writing, scientific results, promoting the link with their peers and with the community in general.
  • To develop the ability to identify problems, devise strategies, and implement solutions within and outside the academy.

Graduates of the PhD in Astrophysics and Astroinformatics of the Universidad de Antofagasta are competent to lead collaborative research using their frontier knowledge in Astrophysics and Astroinformatics.

Our graduates generate relevant scientific questions and provide solutions that contribute to the advancement of astronomical knowledge. They will be competent to create, develop and communicate in diverse contexts their astronomical knowledge and computational tools, which are extrapolated to the resolution of concrete problems inside or outside the academy.

The PhD program has three lines of research:

  • Astrophysics of galaxies
  • Astrophysics of stellar systems and
  • Astroinformatics.

The PhD curriculum is composed of 5 fundamental subjects corresponding to 38 SCT credits, and requires the approval of a minimum of 24 SCT in complementary subjects. In addition, at the end of the third semester, the student must present and defend a thesis project/qualifying exam corresponding to 28 SCT (evaluative milestone) before an evaluation commission, the approval of which will give him/her the condition of candidate to the degree of Doctor.

To complete his or her studies and obtain the academic degree of Doctor, the student must produce a thesis (150 SCT) that represents an original contribution to knowledge, which will be defended before an evaluation committee (evaluation milestone).

Curriculum

The requested documents have the following weightings within the final grade:
– Cover letter: 30%.
– Reference letters: 25%.
– Academic background: 25%.
– Curriculum Vitae: 20%.

In the case of applicants who have graduated from careers not explicitly mentioned in the regulations, additional documentation may be requested in order to evaluate the applicant’s relevance.

For the next selection phase, only candidates with a minimum score of 5.0 and a minimum grade of 3.5 in each of the requested criteria will be considered.

Pre-selected students will be interviewed telematically. The interview will be conducted in English. The score achieved by the student prior to the interview will consist of 70% of his/her final score, so that the interview contributes 30% to the applicant’s final score.

The interview is individual and semi-structured, with questions and evaluation guidelines. The interview will be scheduled after consulting the availability of the Program Council and the applicant.

Once the process is completed, an official list is sent to the Graduate School for ratification. Additionally, the Program Director will send a letter to the selected and non-selected applicants to the Program.

Students accepted into the Program must pay the following annual fees for the year 2022.

Registration fee: $200,000.- (at the beginning of each year, including the first year).

Annual fee: $3,800,000.-

APPLICATION CALENDAR

You may apply to the Program between December 1 and January 15 of each year.

Scholarships of release of payment of program fee, exempting the beneficiary from the obligation to pay all or part of the fee of the respective program. The registration fee must be paid in full.

Academic Excellence Scholarships to graduate students of accredited programs, or in the process of accreditation or reaccreditation (with a report sent to the accrediting entity), granted to students in consideration of their academic merits and will consist of a total reduction of the program fee and a monthly financial aid. The registration fee must be paid.
Financial Aid to attend congresses, consists of support to attend congresses for students of accredited graduate programs or in the process of accreditation, will be granted by application, which will be opened twice a year (first semester of each year, for the congresses that take place during the 2nd semester of the same year and 2nd semester for the congresses that take place in the first semester of the following year). This support will consist of an economic aid that must be rendered equivalent to 15 UF maximum for national congresses and 25 UF maximum for international congresses. The value of the UF of January 2 of each year will be taken.
The purpose of the Productivity Assignment Scholarships is to provide an incentive to students in postgraduate programs to publish in scientific journals. If the publication is in a journal indexed in the Journal Citation Report (JCR) of Web of Science (WoS), the student will receive an allowance of 15 UF. If the publication is in the SCOPUS or Scielo System, the allowance will be 6 UF. The value of the UF of January 2 of each year will be taken and the payment will be made only once, for each publication.
Other scholarships, not excluding the above, the Research Centers or other Units of the University, using their own resources, may assign other types of scholarships to graduate students of the University.

Any person with an academic degree in Astrophysics, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or Computer Science, at a level, duration and content compatible with the requirements of the Program, may apply to the Doctoral Program.

Applicants must present the following background:

  • Apostilled copy of professional degree or academic degree.
    Official transcript of previous university studies.
  • Between a minimum of two and a maximum of three letters of recommendation sent directly to the Program by recommenders who know the applicant personally. At least one of the contacts must be from the university academic field.
  • Curriculum Vitae.
  • Cover letter with a detailed description of your motivation for joining our Program, previous research experience (if applicable), research interests, computational skills, and future career goals.
  • Indication of the origin of the financial resources that will be available during the study period.
    Copy of identity card or passport.
  • Accreditation of oral and written English at a high level. This is an indispensable requirement for the student’s performance in our Program.
  • In case of submitting documentation in a language other than Spanish or English, a simple translation into either of these two languages must be attached. Applicants who obtained their degree abroad must submit their documents duly legalized by the corresponding authorities during the first semester.

All application documents must be submitted through our application form within the deadlines established by the Program.

Contact

Program Director
Dr. Médéric Boquien
mederic.boquien@uantof.cl
Telephone: 56-55 251 3679

Contact
astro.doctorado@uantof.cl
Secretary
Sra. Anay Herrera
anay.herrera@uantof.cl
Telephone: 56 – 55 251 3645

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