Eligibility Requirements

Candidates must:

• Hold a PhD degree in Mathematics or Physics;
• Have at least 4 (four) years of research and development activity in the relevant field or experience in higher education, including at least 3 years of experience in cosmology. For candidates coming from outside higher education or scientific research, the required minimum experience is 8 (eight) years in the field relevant to the position;
• Meet, for the factors I, P and C, as defined in the annex to the Regulation “Minimum Criteria for Filling the R2 Position”, the following minimum values: I_min = 1, P_min = 1, C_min = 10.0.

Application File

Candidates application files must contain the following documents:

1. A copy of the identity card or any other document certifying identity, as provided by law, as applicable;
2. A copy of the marriage certificate or proof of change of name, as applicable;
3. Application form for participation in the competition for the R2 position 
4. A declaration on one's own responsibility regarding the accuracy of the information provided in the application file
5. GDPR information notice for candidates (competition);
6. A completed table containing all data demonstrating compliance with the minimum standards specified in the Regulation. The absolute Journal Impact Factor of the publication according to Journal Citation Reports (Web of Science), calculated for the year in which the article was published, shall be considered. If no score was calculated for the year of publication, the latest year for which this factor was calculated shall be taken into account (attached form);
7. Copies of the baccalaureate diploma or equivalent, bachelor's degree or equivalent, together with the academic transcript, as well as a copy of the employment record or an extract from the General Employee Register (REVISAL/REGES), in order to prove seniority;
8. A copy of the PhD diploma in the scientific field corresponding to the position, as well as other scientific or academic diplomas or titles. If the diploma was not issued by a higher education institution in Romania, a copy of the certificate of recognition or equivalence must be submitted;
9. Curriculum vitae, which must include: education and degrees obtained; professional experience and relevant previous positions; research, development and innovation projects led as project director and grants obtained, where applicable, indicating for each the funding source, funding amount, and main resulting publications or patents; awards or other forms of recognition of scientific contributions; and a narrative description of the three most important achievements since the last promotion, limited to a maximum of three pages;
10. A list of no more than 10 of the most relevant scientific publications, such as authored books, articles/studies/chapters, edited volumes, and papers;
11. A list of books authored and edited volumes;
12. A list of full-length articles/studies published in journals belonging to the main international scientific literature;
13. A list of other scientific works and contributions or, where applicable, contributions in the fields of artistic creation or national defense;
14. Copies of the official records concerning the registration, exploitation/valorization, and approval/certification of patents;
15. Research activity statement, referring EXCLUSIVELY to the candidate's own achievements reflected in the articles included in the list of publications or in the list of granted patents. This document must also include:

• a proposal for future activities, including a list of the candidate's own works (at least two) and reprints of the works from this list that are representative of the proposed topic;
• the candidate's proposal for leading the relevant activities, including scientific management, for the following period (approximately five years), specifying how the candidate intends to act in order to achieve the objectives of the proposal;

16. A list containing the names and contact details of three scientific personalities holding the title of R4 and R3 (Professor or Associate Professor), for the Competition Committee to request a letter of recommendation regarding the candidate's professional competence and experience;
17. Self-assessment form(s) through which candidates quantify their own activity in accordance with the “Regulation for Filling the Position and Awarding the Professional Grade of R2 at INFLPR”;
18. Evidence of participation in scientific events or fulfillment of excellence criteria proposed by the candidate for the assessment of scientific prestige, in accordance with the annex to the “Regulation for Filling the Position and Awarding the Professional Grade of R2 at INFLPR” – “Awarding Points for Managerial Capacity and Scientific Prestige”;
19. A declaration on one's own responsibility stating that, during the three years preceding registration for the promotion competition, the candidate has not been sanctioned for a serious breach of good conduct in RDI activities, as provided for under Article 52(8) of Law No. 183/2024
20. A medical certificate attesting to the candidate's appropriate state of health, issued by the candidate's family doctor or by authorized medical facilities no more than three months prior to the competition;
21. A criminal record certificate.

List of Publications and Scientific Contributions

The list of publications, works, articles/studies, and patents considered by the candidate to be relevant to the field of the position for which they are applying shall be structured as follows:

1. A list of no more than 10 of the most relevant scientific publications, such as books authored, articles/studies/chapters, edited volumes, and papers;
2. A list of patents and other industrial property rights;
3. A list of books authored and edited volumes;
4. A list of full-length articles/studies published in journals belonging to the main international scientific literature, accompanied by one copy of each of the five most representative papers;
5. A list of other scientific works and contributions.

Responsibilities of the Selected Candidate 

• Developing new research-development-innovation (RDI) topics in the field of cosmology;
• Making original contributions in areas such as large-scale structure of the Universe, dark energy, cosmological inflation, and applications of machine learning in cosmology;
• Coordinating experiments and research activities based on data obtained from satellite missions in the field of cosmology;
• Analyzing and interpreting the results of RDI activities and preparing research reports;
• Coordinating research activities in the field of the early Universe;
• Mentoring and coordinating young researchers involved in the activities and experiments under their responsibility;
• Coordinating and drafting scientific papers;
• Disseminating and exploiting the results obtained through their own RDI activities;
• Developing and managing their own research team;
• Preparing and submitting patent applications, where applicable;
• Initiating and proposing research projects along the research directions developed together with their own team;
• Contributing to the fulfillment of the activities and performance indicators stipulated in the phases of the ISS – INFLPR Subsidiary Core Research Project;
• Performing other responsibilities corresponding to the qualifications and position, as established by decision of the ISS Director;
• Obtaining high-level scientific results, demonstrated through publications in red- or yellow-quartile ISI journals and/or technology, product, service, or methodology documentation, in accordance with the procedures of ISS.

NOTE: All documents submitted as part of the application file must also be submitted in electronic format on a CD or USB flash drive.

Candidates who have obtained diplomas or certificates from accredited higher education or research and development institutions abroad must also submit the certificate of recognition/equivalence of the relevant qualification, issued by the National Centre for Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas (CNRED).

If the certificate has not yet been issued, proof that the application has been submitted to CNRED must be provided. In the event that the application is rejected by CNRED, the R2 title will be withdrawn by decision of the ISS Director.

Further details regarding the competition are available on the website: https://www.spacescience.ro/en/cariere/ 

Application files must be submitted to the ISS Secretariat no later than 23 October 2026.

The competition stages are as follows:

• Eligibility verification: 28 October 2026
• Application file evaluation: 30 October 2026
• Oral examination: 2 November 2026, at 11:00 AM
• Preliminary results: 2 November 2026
• Submission of appeals: 5 November 2026
• Final results: 12 November 2026

Topics

• Large-scale structure of the Universe, dark energy, inflation, and machine learning in cosmology;
• Modified gravity;
• Topological defects in cosmology.

Bibliography

1. S. Weinberg – Gravitation and Cosmology: Principles and Applications of the General Theory;
2. P. J. E. Peebles – Principles of Physical Cosmology;
3. C. Dvorkin et al. – Machine Learning and Cosmology, arXiv:2203.08056.

For further information and to obtain the documents and forms required for registration, candidates interested in this position may contact the ISS Human Resources Department at resurseumane@spacescience.ro.