PhD Studentship in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Astronomy Instrumentation, and Space Science University of Durham in United Kingdom

Durham University is a UK-leading centre for astronomical research with world-class groups working in a wide range of fields covering the observational, theoretical and instrumentation aspects of astronomy. Durham has been ranked the top institution in Europe and sixth in the world for our research into Space Science (which covers research into astronomy and astrophysics) over the decade 2002 - 2012, according to Thomson Reuters. In 2014 we were ranked 5th in the world (1st in Europe) in terms of research impact in space sciences. The Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers 2018 list puts Durham's astronomers and cosmologists first in the UK, second in Europe and sixth in the world for the quality and influence of their research in space science.

There are roughly 35 academic staff across the combined astronomy groups, with over 100 people involved in astronomy research, which includes postdocs, postgraduate students and support and technical staff. Our main areas of expertise are extragalactic astronomy and cosmology (observational and theoretical), advanced instrumentation, and high-energy astrophysics. Astronomy in Durham is split over three closely connected groups within the Physics Department and which are now all located to a large extent within the newly built Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics. The three groups consists of the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation (CfAI), the Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy (CEA) and the Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC).

We are seeking new graduate students to undertake research within our PhD and MSc by Research programmes, starting from October 2025. We particularly encourage applications from members of the community that are under-represented in physics. More details of each project can be found on our website: https://astro.dur.ac.uk/CEA/index.php?content=Postgraduate/Postgraduate

Note that these studentships will be awarded on a competitive basis between projects. These projects can also form the basis of topics available for possible external funding that candidates may also be eligible for.

For informal enquiries please contact Prof. Dimitri Gadotti ( [email protected] ) and Prof. Ryan Cooke ( [email protected] ).

Eligibility Criteria: You must have or expect a First-Class honours Bachelor's degree, or at least a 2:1 Integrated Master’s degree or a Master's degree in an appropriate subject, from a recognised university (or equivalent).

Applications are open to Home and international/EU candidates. If English is not your first language, you must have IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6 in all sub-skills).

How to apply: You must apply through the University’s applicant portal

You will need to:

• State either "Astronomy and Astrophysics" or "Instrumentation" in the 'Field of Study' section.
• On the funding tab select ‘yes’ you are applying for a scholarship, select ‘PGR-Research Council Studentships’
• attach a covering letter and CV.
• provide a short research proposal of a few paragraphs (no longer than 1 page) detailing your research interests.
• attach degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualifications.
• provide 2 referee contact details (specifically email addresses) who we will contact directly.