Category: PhD

PhD Projects in exoplanets and Solar System astronomy

The Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast is advertising PhD projects for the 2026/2027 school year in exoplanets and Solar System astronomy. Details about the projects can be found at the following links:

Details about the application process can be found here (https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/astrophysics-research-centre/EducationandOpportunities/PHDStudentships/). PhD positions may be funded through NI DoE (Department of Economy) or UK STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) studentships.

The application deadline is Friday 16th January 2026. The QUB Astrophysics Research Centre will be hosting a information session (in-person and online participation) on Monday 8 December 12pm GMT. Register to get the connection link using this form (https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=6ner6qW040mh6NbdI6Hyhvqh8HZaSo9Fgtva6IA0Lb5UN1RKQTBaR1YzTUVKQUlMVTE3MTAzSU80MC4u&route=shorturl).

PhD in Biotechnology and antimicrobial resistance (UK)

Dr Michael Macey is excited to share a new PhD project exploring the secrets hidden within Great Britain’s unique waters with, Michael, and Daniel P Payne, Ilias Kounatidis, Calum McMullen, Tim Goodall and Anne Jungblut. They are delving into the uncharacterised microbiomes of historic and chemically distinct springs across the UK. These heritage sites could be a source for novel bioactive compounds to help tackle the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance.

This studentship offers an opportunity to:

  • Conduct fieldwork at a range of UK heritage sites.
  • Get trained in state-of-the-art chemistry and biology techniques.
  • Screen for microbes and metabolites with the potential to become new medicines.

It’s a blend of natural history, microbiology, and cutting-edge analytical science. A brilliant chance to explore the UK’s hidden biodiversity and contribute to a pressing global challenge.

Deadline: January 7th 2026

Click here for more information.

PhD Studentship in Analytical Tools within Contamination in Spacecraft & Satellite Industry (UK)

The Open University (Milton Keynes, UK) would like to advertise the following PhD position:

Development and validation of innovative, near real-time analytical tools to enable mitigation of contamination within cleanrooms of the UK spacecraft & satellite industry.

Open University Supervisory team: Claire Batty; Vic Pearson; Geraint Morgan

Project Highlights: 

  • Opportunity to develop expertise in cutting edge volatile organic compound detection and analysis for contamination detection.
  • Opportunity to develop skills in analytical techniques, contamination control, and materials and process (M&P) protocols within the space sector.
  • This industrial CASE studentship is a collaboration between The Open University (OU) and Airbus Defence and Space Ltd (Airbus DS) providing both academic and industrial research experience.

The aims of this studentship are: 

  1. To identify, profile and catalogue volatile, semi-volatile and surface organic compounds in cleanrooms and understand the influence of VOCs on bonding, and cleaning methodologies.
  2. To develop techniques, in partnership with the Airbus technical team, to help identify individual contamination compounds, and assess risk of silicone contamination vs cure.
  3. To develop analytical strategies to then deal with real time contamination events.
  4. To develop and optimise analytical methods for flight hardware, cleanroom surfaces and air.

Application deadline: August 1st 2025, 5pm GMT

More information about the project and how to apply here.

PhD Position in Origins of Life research at the University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

Are you interested in a PRELIFE PhD position in prebiotic laboratory (geo/photo)chemistry?

There’s an exciting opportunity to perform research on From Building Blocks to Polymerisation on Water-rich Worlds, an Experimental Exploration. A laboratory exploration of how planet- and space-born building blocks may polymerise into molecular structures under varying prebiotic conditions, such as level of oxygenation, UV radiation, and impacts.

Do you have a MSc degree in physics, physical chemistry, geochemistry or adjacent fields? Do you like working in an interdisciplinary environment, independently and within a team? Here is your chance to do a PhD in an inspiring and challenging environment, where you will be able to perform state-of-the-art experiments and collaborate with other disciplines, scientists, PhD students, artists, and the general public.

Apply for this PhD project >here<

🧪 Application deadline: June 10, 2025
🌍 Start date: Autumn 2025
📍 Open to candidates worldwide

👉 Explore all PRELIFE opportunities here

PhD Positions in Origins of Life Research (several locations in the Netherlands)

Curious about how life began—and where it might arise beyond Earth? PRELIFE is a new European doctoral network offering 15 fully funded PhD positions across disciplines like geochemistry, synthetic biology, complex systems, and astrobiology.

From simulating early Earth to building synthetic life, each project tackles a different piece of the puzzle.

🧪 Application deadline: June 10, 2025
🌍 Start date: Fall 2025
📍 Open to candidates worldwide

👉 Explore all opportunities here

PhD Opportunity in Space Microbiology at ZARM (University of Bremen, Germany)

Are you passionate about space and microbiology? The Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) at the University of Bremen is looking for a motivated PhD researcher to join the ERC-funded MarCyano project. This 3-year position offers the chance to explore how cyanobacteria could help sustain future human missions to Mars — by producing oxygen, food, and other essentials using Martian resources.

Who can apply?
If you have (or are about to complete) a Master’s in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, or a related field, and you’re excited about space research and hands-on lab work, this could be a great fit!

Location: Bremen, Germany
Deadline to apply: June 1, 2025
Find out more and apply: Click here

PhD Opportunity: Studying Biosignatures Under Martian Irradiation in Orléans (France)

A PhD position at CNRS in Orléans, France, offers a unique opportunity to investigate how biosignatures survive in the harsh environment of Mars.

Mars was once habitable, with liquid water on its surface, but over time, its atmosphere thinned, and radiation exposure increased. Despite this, ancient rocks on the Martian surface might still hold evidence of past microbial life. This PhD project will explore how cosmic radiation affects these biosignatures over billions of years, helping refine the search for life on Mars—especially for upcoming missions like ESA’s ExoMars.

The research involves using a particle accelerator (CEMHTI Pelletron) to simulate Martian irradiation, analyzing how different minerals protect biosignatures, and collaborating with space mission teams. It’s a fantastic chance to contribute to astrobiology and planetary exploration.

📅 Application deadline: March 14
📍 Location: CNRS, Orléans, France

🔗 More details & application: CNES Website

For further inquiries, feel free to reach out to Dr. Frédéric Foucher.

PhD Opportunities in Interdisciplinary Space Sciences and Planetary Research in Graz (Austria)

The Young Researcher Program YRP@Graz welcomes applications for PhD positions. YRP@Graz is jointly supported by the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Graz University of Technology, and the University of Graz.

The application process has two stages with which we aim to decrease selection biases: Stage 1 of the application process is anonymised (submission deadline: March 11th 2025), stage 2 takes the form of an interview.

Excellent candidates with a strong background in natural sciences are welcome to apply. Successful candidates must hold a master’s degree in physics, astrophysics, geoscience, computational chemistry or equivalent at the latest by the starting date of the position but preferably at the time of application. The appointment can begin July 1st 2025, and will aim for a minimum of three years.

The five offered projects are:

Details about the offered projects and the application process can be found here.

PhD projects at the Natural History Museum in London (UK), September/October 2025

There are two PhD projects available at the Natural History Museum, for a September/October 2025 start. These projects are in the fields of meteorites and mineralogy. Deadline for all applications is Sunday 2 February 2025, 23:59 GMT. STFC projects

Project 1: Salt hydrates at high pressure and low temperature: Implications for icy moon explorations Contact Supervisor: Ines Collings https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/study/postgraduate/phd-opportunities/projects/salt-hydrates-high-pressure-low-temperature.html

Project 2: Petrologic and geochemical constraints on volcanic eruptions on Amazonian Mars Contact Supervisors: Chiara Petrone, Paul Schofield https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/study/postgraduate/phd-opportunities/projects/petrologic-geochemical-constraints-volcanic-eruptions-amazonian-mars.html

Full details of the application process, supervisors, and associated universities can be found on all the project pages.