1 PhD and Integrated-PhD Position in Dust Astrophysics 

• Project: Dust Dynamics and Evolution in Planetary Systems

We invite applications from highly motivated candidates for one Ph.D. or Integrated Ph.D. position in astrophysics at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), under the co-supervision of Dr. Thiem Hoang at KASI and Dr. Pierre Henri at the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, France.

The successful candidate will investigate dust dynamics and evolution in planetary systems, from magnetized planet-forming environments to comets and interstellar objects. Dust provides the building blocks of planets, and its growth, alignment, transport, and destruction—shaped by gas, radiation, and magnetic fields—play critical roles in planet formation. Comets preserve primitive material from our Solar System, while interstellar objects carry information about other planetary systems and their birth environments. This research is particularly timely because the Comet Interceptor mission may encounter either a pristine comet or an interstellar object. Connecting remote observations with its in situ measurements will help trace dust evolution, constrain the origins of interstellar objects, and test dust-physics theories under diverse conditions.

The research will focus on: (1) modeling dust dynamics and evolution and the resulting emission and polarization, together with numerical simulations and synthetic polarization observations, to study dust physics during planet formation; (2) and developing physical dust models to interpret in situ measurements from spacecraft flyby missions and using these observations to test theories of dust physics in cometary environments and interstellar objects.

Online Application: https://ust.ac.kr/admission_eng.do

Application Period: September 16 to October 6 (17:00 KST), 2026

Inquiries: Prof. Thiem Hoang (thiemhoang@kasi.re.kr)

2 PhD and Integrated-PhD Positions in Astrophysics (Closed)

• Position 1: Gravity and Magnetic Fields in the Interstellar Medium, Star and Planet Formation

• Position 2: Gravity and Magnetic Fields in Black Hole Growth and Environments

We seek highly motivated candidates for 2 Ph.D or Integrated Ph.D positions in the Gravity and Magnetic Fields in Cosmic Ecosystems project (GrandMagnet) at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, under the supervision of Professor Thiem Hoang. 

The successful candidate will join our research group to investigate the role of gravity and magnetic fields in the formation of stars, planets, and black holes from interstellar matter (dust and gas) and to study the influence of stellar and black hole feedback on interstellar and circumgalactic matter.  The successful candidates will work on: 

(1) numerical modeling of dust emission/polarization, numerical simulations, and synthetic observations of polarization, and/or

(2) data analysis and modeling of multiwavelength polarization data from different polarimetric instruments such as SOFIA/HAWC+, JCMT, ALMA, and future SKA. One position will focus on the interstellar medium and star/planet formation, while the other will focus on the interstellar medium and the growth and feedback of black holes. 

Online Application: https://ust.ac.kr/admission_eng.do

Application Period: September 22 to October 16 (17:00 KST), 2025

Inquiries: Prof. Thiem Hoang (thiemhoang@kasi.re.kr)

No open positions. New positions will be posted here when available.