Project name: There are GIANTs (Glorious Incandescent Anthropogenic and Natural Transients) in the sky

The aim of this research project is to leverage the rich and diverse data set of all sky images generated nightly by the UK Fireball Alliance network of cameras. These data will be mined to develop new mathematical approaches to model the bright flight of fireballs generated by hypervelocity objects (from meteorites to space junk) entering Earth’s atmosphere, as well as develop numerical approaches to explore luminous atmospheric transients (from tracking satellites to monitoring weather systems to discovering flaring stars).

Background information: The UK Fireball alliance is a network of cameras designed to detect meteors and recover meteorites in the UK. UKFAll has over a decade worth of images and videos of the night skies above the UK which contain meteors as well as other atmospheric phenomena that are yet to be fully explored.

Methods: This is a multidisciplinary project. We will combine all sky imaging with mathematical approaches. Mathematical models will be developed to improve bright flight modelling of fireballs from both meteorites and space debris. Machine learning will be employed to detect satellite streaks in images and videos from the UK Fireball Alliance network and determine their orbit to track them in near-real time. In addition, the same approach will be used to survey the data for other atmospheric phenomena e.g. flaring starts, supernovae, weather systems etc.

Research outputs: The results from this project will be communicated to the wider scientific community via student attendance at both national and international conferences, as well as scientific publications and thesis submission. The work will be shared with the public via outreach events that the student will be encouraged to participate in.

Funding Notes and information to apply: STFC funding is available via a competitive process – the successful candidate will receive full funding, for tuition and stipend at UKRI standard levels. International candidates are not eligible to apply, however those with pre-settled/settled status can apply.

Applications should include a 2-page CV and 1-page cover letter (pdf format required for both), explaining why you are interested in this research project. Applications not submitted in this format will be rejected.

Applications should be emailed to Leenah Khan (Leenah.Khan@glasgow.ac.uk) by 5pm on the 27th of April 2026, with the email subject ‘GES STFC PhD studentship 2026’. Late applications will not be considered. We expect to hold interviews in the week beginning 25th May.

The principal supervisor can be contacted for further information: luke.daly@glasgow.ac.uk

Expanded information on the PhD position can be found here.