PhD position RSO TraFFIC - AI and Space Domain Astronomy
Solliciteer nuPhD position RSO TraFFIC - AI and Space Domain Astronomy
The University of Groningen (UG) partners in the national project Resident Space Object Tracking For Fusion, Inference, and Characterisation (RSO TraFFIC). It aims to improve the tracking and characterisation of objects in Earth orbit. The Groningen contribution is led by Dr Gijs Verdoes Kleijn of the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute and Dr Eduardo Balbinot (Center for Information Technology and Kapteyn Astronomical Institute).
The 2.6 Meur 6 year project brings together the universities of Delft, Groningen, Leiden and Radboud, the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) and the space companies Dunedain and Ecosmic.
Modern society depends on space-based infrastructure, but Earth’s orbit is becoming increasingly crowded: about 40,000 objects are catalogued, two-thirds of all spacecraft ever launched have gone up in the past seven years, and more than a million untrackable fragments between one and ten centimetres—each large enough to destroy a satellite—are in orbit. This makes it more difficult to monitor what is happening in space and to prevent collisions.
The RSO TraFFIC project will address these challenges by combining data from different sensors and developing new sensing techniques and algorithms to track objects and examine the legal and governance frameworks needed to manage Earth orbit as a shared resource in a safe, sustainable and responsible way.
PhD position RSO TraFFIC - AI and Space Domain Astronomy
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What are you going to do?
The Groningen team leads the project’s work on data management and AI-based analysis. You will do PhD research into adapting astronomical AI foundation models to recognise asteroids, comets and satellite trails in telescope images and extract signals from rapid brightness measurements. These capabilities will be built into General Open Orbital Dynamics platform, an open-science platform developed jointly by Delft University of Technology and the University of Groningen (Dirkx et al 2026). This platform will serve as the project’s central data and analysis hub and is hosted at the university’s OmegaCEN Astronomical Science Data Center using the UG’s Center for Information Technology research data-handling facilities. The PhD project is planned to start around January 2028.
Who are you?
We seek excellent candidates with the following qualifications and experience and desire to obtain a PhD degree from a top European University:
- A successful candidate must hold an MSc or equivalent degree in Physics, Astronomy, Aerospace engineering, Mathematics, Computational Science or a related field by the starting date of the position.
- Previous research experience and skills will be important criteria for the selection.
- Experience with AI and sky imaging and/or stellar occultation data is a strong asset.
- Strong pros are: Experience with astronomical image processing and software in the optical or near-infrared and astro data science tools (e.g, mastery of Python and/or C++ , Jupyter Notebooks).
- Pro-active and independent working attitude.
- Team player, communicative, experience with distributed software project teams is a plus.
- Flexibility in dealing with different organisational cultures and structures.
- Prepared to travel several times per year to (inter)national partners.
- Good mastery of the English language and writing skills.
What can you expect from us?
- In accordance with the collective labor agreement for Dutch universities, we offer a salary of at least € 3.204 up to a maximum of € 4.051 (promovendus) gross per month for a full-time employment contract.
- 232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
- End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
- Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.
- A fixed-term contract of 1.0 FTE, initially for one year, with the possibility of extension for another three years.
Where will you be working?
At the University of Groningen (UG), researchers from all fields of academia and technology are working on academic challenges and societal questions. Lecturers prepare their students for meaningful careers within or outside the academic world. Interdisciplinary research and teaching, sharing of knowledge, collaboration with businesses, government institutions, and societal organizations are aspects that are of the utmost importance to this European top university. The UG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working climate that invites you to add your value.
The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) provides teaching and research across a wide range of disciplines, from physics and biology to artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering, and pharmacy. In close collaboration with partners from industry, healthcare, and society, we contribute to the urgent challenges of our time, such as energy, sustainability, digitization, and medical technology. Our community is open and informal, with more than 7,000 students, 1,000 PhD students, and 1,400 staff members from all over the world. If you would like to learn more about the Faculty of Science and Engineering, visit rug.nl/fse.
The Kapteyn Astronomical Institute is part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering and of The Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA). With 17 faculty members and about 60 PhD students, it is the second-largest astronomical institute in the Netherlands and recognised worldwide for the quality of its research in multiple areas of astronomy.
Groningen, a historic University town in the Northern Netherlands, occupies a strategic place in Dutch astronomy, hosting also the low-energy astrophysics division of the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) and the NOVA sub-mm lab. The Kapteyn Institute has a strong connection with the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) in Dwingeloo, a European centre of radio astronomy research. Staff and PhD students at the Kapteyn Institute frequently collaborate with SRON and ASTRON scientists and engineers. There are also strong interdisciplinary connections with other institutes in the Faculty of Science and Engineering in Groningen, and across the Netherlands, such as with the Dutch Origins Center. English is the common language spoken at the institute.
Extra information:
- For information you can contact, g.a.verdoes.kleijn@rug.nl Please do not use this email address for applications.
- Profile page of Dr Gijs Verdoes Kleijn
- Profile page of Dr Eduardo Balbinot
- Four research projects aimed at strengthening space technology receive funding (NWO)
- NWO grant enables Groningen researchers to make space infrastructure safer (Oct 2026)
- 1.5 million NWO grant for open science platform for orbital calculations (February 2026)
- NWO grant under the KIC Space technology programme (TU Delft)
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Application procedure
After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation by email.
The selection committee assesses your application and you will be notified as soon as possible whether you are invited for an interview.
We would like to get to know each other better in a first interview, which can take place either online or on location.
We may schedule a second interview with you. Depending on the position, this interview can be complemented with an assessment or guest lecture.
After a positive interview, we will discuss the terms of employment together. When everything is completed, we are happy to welcome you at the University of Groningen!
Interested?
Does this vacancy appeal to you? If so, click on the button below and apply straightaway.
Please add the following documents to your application:
- A cover letter including a) your motivation to apply for this specific PhD project; b) a description of past research experience, why you would be a good candidate for this PhD position and what you expect to gain from it. The cover letter should be 3 pages max in total.
- Up-to-date curriculum vitae.
- A certified list of grades from your undergraduate degree(s) up to the moment of application (in case your degree has not yet been awarded). Please provide translation if they are not in English or Dutch.
Please upload your application as a single pdf file, following the order stated above. The application also asks for the Name and contact information of 2 referees. These could be contacted at a later stage.
If you do not hold a PhD, please replace the first two questions with the location and year of your Master’s degree, and complete the remaining fields as requested.
Interviews are planned beginning of February 2027.
Do you have any questions or need more information?
-
Questions about the content of the job?
Gijs Verdoes Kleijn
Researcher
G.A.Verdoes.Kleijn@rug.nl -
Questions about your application process?
Gijs Verdoes Kleijn
Researcher
G.A.Verdoes.Kleijn@rug.nl
Information about applying
When scheduling meetings, we will take your schedule into account as much as possible.
The University of Groningen considers social safety important. We strive to be a university where staff and students feel respected and at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identity. For more information, see also our page about our diversity policy.
Acquisition is not appreciated.
Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the NVP Application Code.
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