Project Background: Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are massive eruptions of magnetized plasma from the Sun that can cause severe space weather disturbances in planetary environments. These eruptions are often accompanied by turbulent sheath regions—zones of compressed plasma and magnetic fields formed between the CME-driven shock and the CME itself. While sheath regions are known to play a major role in driving geomagnetic storms on Earth, their impact on the inner planets, particularly Mercury and Venus, remains poorly understood. Sheaths are challenging to study due to their complex and multi-scale structure and their possible extended formation from the low solar corona to inter-planetary space. Most existing global MHD models are largely limited by their lower boundary at 0.1 astronomical unit and inaccuracies in CME flux-rope initialization techniques.
To address these challenges, the EMSWIP project aims to develop an advanced Sun-to-planet modeling framework that captures the full evolution of CMEs and their sheath regions from the solar corona to planetary environments, validated through data from latest missions such as BepiColombo, Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, and PUNCH. EMSWIP is expected to significantly deepen our understanding of the early evolution of CMEs and their sheath regions, as well as their space weather effects on unmagnetized or weakly magnetized planets, paving the way to uncover how similar processes shape planetary atmospheres beyond our solar system.
Role of the Doctoral Researcher: Based on the selected candidate’s expertise and interests, the PhD work could contribute to several aspects of the project, including analyzing near-Sun observations of CMEs and shocks, running three-dimensional numerical simulations to model the Sun-to-planet evolution of CMEs and their sheath regions, assessing their impact on planetary environments, and validating the model results with in-situ measurements.
Requirements:
* MSc (or equivalent) in space physics, astrophysics, or a related discipline completed by the time of appointment,
* Strong interest in solar physics, space weather, or plasma modeling
* Programming experience (e.g., Python or equivalent),:
* Some background in solar data analysis or simulations is helpful, but not mandatory.
* Proficiency in written and spoken English
How to Apply
Applications should include:
* A motivation letter (max 1 page)
* A curriculum vitae (including academic record)
* Transcript of academic records (BSc and MSc)
* Contact details for at least two academic references.
Please submit your application using the University of Helsinki recruitment system (https://jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki-Doctoral-Researcher%2C-Solar-and-Space-Physics/1330880057/).
The deadline for submission is 24th November 2025.
For informal inquiries or questions about the position, feel free to contact Dr. Ranadeep Sarkar ([email protected]).