The Astrophysics Group offers a limited number of fully funded PhD studentships for research projects in astrophysics, leading to a PhD degree from the University of Bristol. Funding sources include, but are not limited to, STFC and the University. Depending on the source of funding, the duration of the studentship ranges from 3.5 to 4 years.

We encourage applications from any suitably-qualified students (usually with a first class or upper second class degree in Physics or a related subject) from the UK or overseas. Our normal recruiting cycle for funded PhD places runs from October through January each academic year. Please check this website during that time for updates on which projects are available. Applications for funded studentships received outside this window will generally not be considered, unless specifically advertised as available.

While the number of funded studentships is necessarily limited, the Astrophysics group may also consider applications from well-qualified self-funded students. If you have a specific area of interest, and it aligns with the research undertaken by a member of staff, please feel free to contact that staff member directly to express your interest. Speculative applications without a clear research topic are unfortunately rarely successful.

We are committed to diversity and inclusivity and providing a supportive environment for our students, and we welcome students from any background who are enthusiastic about research in astrophysics. For all of our PhD studentships, please follow the application process described below.

Example PhD projects

PhD students carry out independent research under the direction of a member of academic staff in one of the group's areas of research interest, and the degree is awarded on the basis of examination of a thesis.

PhD projects are offered based on the interests and expertise of our academics. Projects actually available will be listed when applications are open. Below are shown some examples from a previous year.

Active Galactic Nuclei and their hosts across cosmic time (Supervisor: Sotiria Fotopoulou)

Black holes with masses more than a billion times the mass of the Sun lurk in the heart of most galaxies. During the so-called active phase of accretion, accumulated gas and dust around the black hole shine across the electromagnetic spectrum from the radio to the gamma rays. These sources are called Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) or quasars, depending on their luminosity. This project will leverage current and new data from space (Euclid) and ground based (4MOST, WEAVE) observatories. You will develop cutting-edge machine learning methods to estimate physical properties of AGN, investigate the evolution of the population across cosmic time, and compare them to leading galaxy evolution simulations.

Black hole accretion flows (Supervisor: Andrew Young)

The goal of this PhD project is to understand accretion flows onto supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies. You will make use of data from space-based observatories to study extremely hot, X-ray emitting gas before it plunges into the black hole. We have developed a numerical model (written in the Julia programming language) that describes the X-ray spectrum and variability produced by this accreting gas. The model predictions depend on the black hole spin, geometry of the disc and X-ray emitting corona, and the strong gravity near the black hole. By fitting these models to X-ray data you will determine the properties of the inner accretion flow and space-time. These observations can also be used to test general relativity. This project is important because active galactic nuclei, powered by accreting supermassive black holes, play an important role in galaxy evolution. This project is suitable for students interested in mathematical physics, numerical modelling, and data analysis. There will be opportunities to work collaboratively with a small group, and to present your work at international conferences.

Exoplanets in the UV (Supervisor: Hannah Wakeford and Katy Chubb)

In this project we will simulate UV observations of exoplanets with the Hubble Space Telescope and model the information gained with UV measurements with a particular interest in aerosol opacity. This will be compared to large program observations across a population of exoplanets. We will look into the role that future telescopes can have in understanding the UV environment of exoplanets with a particular look toward reflected light measurements and polarization. This work involves coding with python and fortran and alongside theoretical modelling the PhD student will develop skills in observational planning.

Galaxy evolution with new MeerKAT observations (Supervisor: Natasha Maddox)

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be the largest radio telescope in the world, with headquarters located at Jodrell Bank, UK. In this project we will use new data from the South African SKA precursor radio telescope MeerKAT to give a unique view of galaxy evolution. The project will be part of the guaranteed time MeerKAT large project MIGHTEE. The data provide measurements of ongoing star formation from the radio continuum emission, as well as the past and future star formation from the neutral hydrogen (HI) content and distribution in the galaxies. Combined with observations at other wavelengths, we will have a large sample of galaxies spanning all masses, galaxy types, and galaxy environment, to investigate how the HI content of galaxies is related to these other observables. This work requires some familiarity with Python, and willingness to become comfortable with large astronomical datasets. The project can be expanded based on the interest and skills of the student to involve several aspects of astronomy. The student will become a member of the MIGHTEE collaboration, with the opportunity to contribute to other ongoing projects.

How to apply for a PhD

To apply for a PhD, please use our online application form, and select “Physics (PhD)” as the programme. At the top of your personal statement, please state clearly that you are applying for a PhD in astrophysics, and state which of the PhD projects above you are interested in (you may list as many as you like). Please use the following format:

I am interested in the following Astrophysics PhD projects:
  - Project number: project title
  - Project number: project title
  - etc
I would/would not like to be considered for other PhD projects if additional funding became available.

If you do not provide this information, your application may not receive full consideration. A research proposal is not required for an astrophysics application, so please upload a single page pdf with "Research proposal not required" to satisfy the submission tool. Anonymity is also not required for an astrophysics application.

Chinese Scholarships

There are additional studentships available for Chinese students, as detailed on the China Scholarship Council page. You must specify that you wish to apply for the China Scholarship Council — University of Bristol Joint Scholarships Programme in your application form. Please contact us before this deadline to discuss your application.