Call for applications to doctoral programs 2027A in UST KASI School

Big Questions to Big Science

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), through the University of Science and Technology(UST) School, invites applications for doctoral (direct and integrated) programs beginning in March 2026. Successful applicants will receive a competitive monthly stipend of approximately USD 1,600 for the duration of the doctoral program. KASI is located in Daejeon, a leading hub for science, technology, and education in Korea. On-campus accommodation will be provided for up to three years, offering a convenient and supportive living environment for students. 

KASI conducts cutting-edge research across a wide range of fields in astronomy and astrophysics, including instrumentation, observations, and theoretical studies. The institute is actively involved in major international collaborations and independent projects such as Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV(SDSS-IV), Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet), and Korean VLBI Network (KVN).

For the upcoming semester, KASI is accepting applications in the following research areas:

• Interstellar Medium - supervisor: Prof. Min-Young Lee (mlee@kasi.re.kr)

• Dust Astrophysics - supervisor: Prof. Thiem Hoang (thiemhoang@kasi.re.kr)

• Cosmology/Astrobiology - supervisor: Prof. Sungwook E. Hong (swhong@kasi.re.kr)

For detailed descriptions of specific research topics, please refer to the attached list or visit our program webpage: https://www.kasi.re.kr/eng/pageView/140

We strongly encourage applications from qualified international students. Applicants holding a BSc degree may apply for the integrated PhD program, while those with an MSc degree are eligible to apply directly to the PhD program. Inquiries regarding specific research areas should be directed to the respective faculty members. For general inquiries, please contact the Chief Major Professor, Sang-Sung Lee (sslee@kasi.re.kr). For detailed information on the application process, please visit the UST admissions webpage: https://ust.ac.kr/admission_eng.do

Applications will be accepted from September 16 to October 6 (15:00 KST). Please note that only applications submitted within this period will be considered.

Best regards,

Sang-Sung Lee

Chief Major Professor

1. Prof. Min-Young Lee (mlee@kasi.re.kr)

This project is for a PhD or integrated PhD student and an MSc student.

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a next-generation radio telescope that is currently being built in Australia and South Africa. It operates at low frequencies of 50 MHz~15.4 GHz and will become the most powerful observing facility once completed in 2030. We are preparing the upcoming SKA era by utilizing a number of pathfinder telescopes, including ASKAP. The GASKAP-HI survey is an ongoing survey with ASKAP to map HI in the Milky Way and the surrounding Magellanic System (Large Magellanic Cloud, Small Magellanic Cloud, Magellanic Bridge, and Magellanic Stream), and a successful candidate will use high-resolution, high-sensitivity HI data from the GASKAP-HI survey to perform the following projects:

 - Aims: 1) Probe the properties of HI in a wide range of environments 2) Examine the atomic-to-molecular transition in the interstellar medium

 - Methods: The candidate will analyze HI emission and absorption spectra to estimate the physical and dynamical properties of HI and compare the results to state-of-the-art theoretical models to understand what determine(s) the properties of HI in a wide range of environments. In addition, the candidate will compare the analyzed HI spectra to other multi-wavelength data (e.g., ALMA CO and HCO+ observations) to examine the conditions for the atomic-to-molecular transition in the interstellar medium. 

 - Outcomes: The candidate will provide comprehensive insights into the roles of HI in the formation of molecular clouds and stars. With extensive experiences with pathfinder data, the candidate will also be best-suited for performing SKA key science projects in the near future. 

2. Prof. Thiem Hoang (thiemhoang@kasi.re.kr)

Dust Dynamics and Evolution in Planetary Systems

This project is for a PhD or integrated PhD student.

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.

3. Prof. Sungwook E. Hong (swhong@kasi.re.kr)

These projects are for PhD or integrated PhD students.

Understanding Large-scale Structures of the Universe using Massive Cosmological Simulations and AI

 - Train deep learning models using gas distribution data from the Horizon Run 5 and DARWIN hydrodynamic simulations, and apply the learned gas information to large-volume N-body simulations.

 - Use machine learning techniques to learn the merger history characteristics of SDSS/DESI LRG/ELG/QSO candidates from Horizon Run 5, and apply these to dark matter halos in N-body simulations to generate mock observational data for future cosmological model analysis.

 - Reconstruct galaxy distributions without redshift distortions and corresponding dark matter distributions from distorted galaxy distributions using deep learning techniques.

Development of Next-Generation Spectroscopic Survey Instruments and Cosmological Research

 - Participate in the data reduction for the A-SPEC’s Southern hemisphere survey and development and operation of its next phases.

 - Predict dark matter distribution and distinguish the dark matter species using the spatial distribution of nearby galaxies.

 - Calibrate Hubble constant measurements using the average density of the local universe.

 - Provide new constraints on the nature of dark energy using information from the local universe.

 - Participate in the instrument case studies and cosmological forecasts for the Korean-led next-generation spectroscopic survey plans.

Astrobiological Research in Galaxies and Large-Scale Structures of the Universe

- Apply Goldilocks zone distribution studies to simulation data of galaxies with properties similar to the Milky Way.

- Apply Goldilocks zone distribution studies to major domestic and international cosmological simulation datasets to understand differences in habitability based on galaxy properties and environmental effects.

- Apply Goldilocks zone distribution studies to stellar data from Gaia and other surveys to predict regions within the Milky Way with high potential for life.