Up to 30% off — ends 2 Aug
ONLY00h00m00s
Up to 30% off — ends 2 Aug
ONLY00h00m00s
University of Newcastle
2 months ago
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PhD Scholarship
PhD Scholarship: Water World Exoplanets Atmospheric Characterisation with James Webb Space Telescope University of Newcastle in Australia
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Chemistry
Funding
Full funding availableDeadline
Jun 3, 2026
Country
Australia
University
University of Newcastle
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Ongoing programORISE
by Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
ORISE administers U.S.-based research fellowships and internships with federal agencies, especially in STEM and public health. Awards commonly support graduate and postdoctoral training with stipends and project-based research experience.
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Keywords
About this position
This PhD scholarship at the University of Newcastle offers a unique opportunity to use James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations to study exoplanet atmospheres, with a particular focus on the most promising water world candidates. Water worlds are theorised to bridge the gap between rocky planets and larger ice giants, potentially composed of 10–90% water and other volatile ices such as ammonia and methane, with the remainder made up of silicates and iron. Unlike the rocky planets of our solar system, which are extremely dry, water worlds may lack hydrogen-rich gas envelopes, distinguishing them from ice giants like Uranus and Neptune.
The project aims to empirically confirm the existence and properties of water worlds by analysing their atmospheric chemical composition, a task made possible by the advanced capabilities of JWST. Since its deployment in 2022, JWST has observed over 150 exoplanets, including numerous water world candidates. The research will focus on analysing JWST datasets to identify and characterise the atmospheric properties of these planets.
Key objectives include: analysing JWST observations of sub-Neptune exoplanets, developing new analysis techniques to disentangle planetary signals from instrumental artefacts and stellar noise, performing atmospheric retrieval analyses to infer chemical compositions and temperatures from exoplanet spectra, determining the frequency of water worlds, comparing results to planet formation theories, and evaluating the prospects for water world habitability.
The scholarship provides a generous funding package: $36,000 per annum living allowance, a top-up stipend of $3,778 p.a., tuition fee scholarship for 3.5 years, and up to $1,500 relocation allowance. The project is supervised by Tom Evans-Soma and is available to domestic students. Applicants must meet the minimum eligibility criteria for PhD admission at the University of Newcastle. Required application materials include academic transcripts, CV, a brief statement of research interests, and a proposal specifically linked to the research project.
Applications close at 5pm on 03 June 2026. Interested candidates should send their application materials via email to [email protected]. For further details and to access the application portal, visit the official scholarship page.
Funding details
Full funding including tuition fees and living expenses is available for this position. The scholarship covers all educational costs and provides a monthly stipend.
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