The astronomy group is excited to receive applications from graduates with a strong enthusiasm for pursuing a PhD in research. We provide a friendly and inclusive environment where budding researchers can become part of a dedicated team of enthusiastic scientists and educators. Our commitment to mentorship, a passion for teaching, and our track record of award-winning research make us the perfect destination for individuals who want to study physics in the greatest laboratory of all. Join us at Nottingham - the down to earth place to study the Universe!
Applications can be made at any time using the online application form found here after registering a username and password. Further information on the admissions procedure is available from the postgraduate admissions tutor, Prof. Juan P. Garrahan. Once you have submitted your application, please also send a brief email with the subject line: "PhD Application" containing your application ID to the astronomy admissions coordinator, Dr. Emma Chapman, confirming that you have applied.
Interviews for our STFC-funded positions (for UK and international students who meet the appropriate eligibility requirements) will be held during the week commencing 24th February 2025. We therefore strongly encourage the submission of applications for this scheme before January 19th 2025.
Overseas students may also be eligible for one of our international research scholarships, and should ensure their online application is submitted at least six weeks before the closing date for these schemes.
A example of PhD projects that may be on offer by the astronomy group in 2025 can be found by following the 'research projects' link on the right of this page. However, this is just for you to get an idea of the breadth of topics you might study, and the project list will be confirmed on your interview day. Please note, the application form is for all subjects across the university and you do not need to upload a research proposal or list a title other than 'PhD in astronomy'. For help completing the form, please see the FAQ button on the right of this page. Further details regarding postgraduate funding opportunities are available at the links listed below, and more general information about being a postgraduate in the School of Physics and Astronomy may be obtained on our postgraduate study page.Most galaxies in the Universe live in groups or clusters, making such large-scale structure critical both for studies of cosmology and of galaxy evolution. This project builds on a successful research program working at the interface between simulations (Pearce) and observations (Gray) to understand the physical processes that influence these objects and the galaxies inhabiting them. Students will exploit state-of-the-art N-body and hydrodynamic simulations, galaxy evolution models, and large imaging and spectrographic surveys to study the properties of large-scale structure in both the real and mock universes. Comparison of both approaches allows us to simultaneously test the model physics, gain insight into the data, and understand the ultimate limitations of our measurements. Our goals include understanding group and cluster assembly (and implications for large cosmological surveys) as well as disentangling the interplay between galaxy properties and their environments.
Galaxy clusters and the filaments surrounding them are the densest regions in the Universe. Galaxies living in these special environments are shaped by a multitude of unique physical processes that include gas stripping, suppression of star formation, and tidal stripping of stars into a diffuse halo of intra-cluster light that permeates the cluster. Finding out how these processes affect the observed properties of galaxies is critical not just for understanding the co-evolution of galaxies and the cosmic web around them, but also for using observations of galaxy clusters and their intra-cluster light to measure the growth of cosmic structures and constrain the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
In this project, we will use both high-resolution computer simulations of galaxy clusters and cutting-edge observational data to trace the evolution of galaxies in and around clusters at redshift 1-2 when the Universe was less than half of its current age. This is the time when galaxy clusters first assemble and begin to influence their galaxies: a key epoch that is now finally within reach of systematic exploration by surveys including Euclid and MOONS. To exploit this opportunity, we will make detailed comparisons between these new data and the latest generation of hydrodynamic simulations, use the simulations to trace how galaxies are changing as they come near a cluster, and find out what role gas and stars that are stripped from galaxies play in the formation of intra-cluster light.
You will not only solve an exciting science question and gain valuable expertise in both observations and simulations, but also have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers at other institutes, both in the UK and internationally.
The intergalactic medium forms the link between galaxy formation and cosmology; its spatial distribution is sometimes referred to as the cosmic web due to the filamentary network that intergalactic gas and dark matter traces on large scales. Detailed spectroscopic observations of the cosmic web -- as seen in absorption in the spectra of distant, background quasars -- therefore play a vital role in understanding the structural, chemical and thermal evolution of baryons across cosmic time. Unlocking and interpreting this rich source of information using high fidelity cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of intergalactic gas is the goal of this project. You will use the state-of-the-art Sherwood-Relics simulation suite to investigate the properties of intergalactic structure throughout cosmic time, and predict the observational signatures expected in the spectra of the most distant quasars and galaxies yet discovered.
Strong gravitational lensing by a foreground galaxy is a rare phenomenon in the Universe, but one which gives far-reaching and unique insight into our understanding of the structure and formation of galaxies at high redshift. When a foreground galaxy lenses a more distant one, we not only learn about the mass structure of the former but also, by virtue of lensing magnification, we can determine the physical characteristics of the latter in much more detail than would be possible were it not being lensed. Determining the structure of lensing galaxies is currently the only viable method of making a direct observation of dark matter substructure, one of the biggest puzzles in astronomy today. Similarly, using gravitational lenses to study high redshift galaxies in detail allows us to pin down the various physical processes at play whilst galaxies assemble in the early Universe.
Currently, there are around 150 known high-quality strong galaxy lens systems to enable this kind of science. This is not enough to provide useful constraints on theoretical models. The situation is imminently about to change with new higher redshift lens samples containing tens of thousands of lenses resulting from two forthcoming facilities: The Simonyi Survey Telescope at the new Rubin Observatory in Chile and the Euclid satellite due for launch in 2023. These will discover tens of thousands of new strong galaxy-galaxy lenses. With this comes a new set of problems, largely centering on developing new efficient analysis techniques to cope with the large data volume and exploring new areas of science that the data will open up. There are several opportunities for a PhD student to get involved in this work.
Galaxy clusters consist of hundreds of galaxies embedded in a massive dark matter halo and a hot, dilute atmosphere that emits X-rays. The hot gas atmosphere captures the energy from major evolutionary events in the lives of these clusters, such as jetted outbursts from their central supermassive black hole and massive mergers with neighboring clusters. This energy is dissipated through vast shocks, cold fronts, giant cavities, sound waves, and turbulent eddies, which are imprinted on the hot atmosphere. The subarcsecond spatial resolution of NASA's Chandra X-ray satellite can resolve the properties of these detailed structures, and even probe the gas gravitationally captured by the supermassive black hole in nearby galaxies. The ALMA sub-mm observatory then reveals the impact of these energetic events on galaxy growth by mapping the structure of star-forming cold gas clouds throughout the universe. In addition, in 2022, JAXA will launch the XRISM X-ray satellite to map the hot gas motions driven by jets and mergers and reveal the energy dissipation on large scales. This project will combine Chandra observations of black hole activity, XRISM observations of hot gas dynamics, and ALMA observations of cold gas flows in the host galaxies to understand how these mechanisms transform galaxies over cosmic time.
Around 10 billion years ago, the most massive galaxies underwent a dramatic transformation, switching off their star formation and also changing from disc-like galaxies to compact spheroidal systems. We still do not understand why this transformation occurs, or the key physical process responsible for quenching the star formation. The aim of this project is to use the latest observational data to shed light on this mystery and test competing theoretical models. We will use a two-pronged approach, focusing on the class of transition galaxies caught in the act of transformation. Very deep spectroscopy will provide the detailed properties of these galaxies during their transition phase (e.g. their metallicities, rates of star formation, outflow rates), while new infrared imaging from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will provide unprecedented data on the morphological transformation of these galaxies, in addition to identifying those containing hidden Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) from their characteristic hot dust emission.
In this project we will use theoretical models to simulate the evolution of galaxies in the distant Universe. These simulations will be used to investigate some of the major unsolved problems, e.g., why do many galaxies suddenly stop forming stars, and what role does the environment play in galaxy evolution at early times? There are growing indications that feedback from supermassive black holes may play a crucial role, but so far the observational evidence is indirect and circumstantial. A key aim of this project is to compare deep observational surveys of the distant Universe with the latest theoretical models, to determine which processes are likely to be dominant. Current models can include a wide range of quenching mechanisms (e.g., quasar heating, quasar winds, supernova-driven feedback, gas stripping), but these ideas are largely untested at high redshift. Theoretical predictions will be compared with a wide range of observed properties from the latest observational data (e.g., galaxy environments, sizes, morphologies, gas content, star-formation histories) to finally hone in on the key physical processes responsible for transforming galaxies in the distant Universe.
We welcome applications all year by those students with external funding. In addition, every year, the group will offer several STFC-funded studentships. We may make one of which available for an overseas student. Applications for these positions are open between November and January. We will send interview requests on 7th February, to take place in the week beginning 24th February 2025. Offers of a PhD place or notice of waitlisting will be made shortly after the interview, however, late offers to waitlisted candidates may be made up to the STFC deadline of 31st March. If unsuccessful, we will inform you as soon as possible so that you can seek a position elsewhere with clarity.
The STFC provides funding directly to the department and so you do not need to apply yourself. The number of positions available each year will vary according to this funding.
Regarding part-time opportunities, the standard STFC-funded studentships can indeed be undertaken on a part-time basis, up to 50%. This flexibility allows you to balance your PhD with other commitments.
If you are considering self-funding, this is a more complex area, as we are careful about not selecting against those who cannot afford to do so. While self-funded students must therefore meet the same requirements as those going through the standard STFC route and show they are of similar standing, we don't view this as an insurmountable barrier. We would simply suggest that you submit an application and, if you are invited for an interview and rank highly, we can discuss how you could take up any opportunity we might offer.
Note, we do not offer a PhD in ‘astronomy’, but we instead class it under ‘physics’. Select ‘Physics’ under the course option, then you should be able to select PhD. Select 42 months as the duration.
Sadly, because the application form is centralised, it asks for a lot of information we just do not need, or expect you to know. You can simply state ‘astrophysics’ for all titles and descriptions required by the form. The forms are sent directly to us and so this will not weaken your application at all.
When offered a place, it may be for a specific project but you may also receive an offer to choose your project once here. In that case, you will have meetings with any of the supervisors you are interested in working with in the first week. We usually start by having a meeting with each student, and then the student decides if they want another meeting and so on. We do our best then to make sure everyone gets their preferred project, but we also ask that you approach studying for a PhD with an open mind, and do not automatically go along the route that your dissertation has taken you.
We welcome applications from students all over the world. However, we are very restricted in the funding we can offer. We usually get one STFC-funded slot for an international student every two years. We therefore strongly encourage you to explore any other funding options available to you. Further Information on: