There are several PhD projects available at UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, for a September/October 2024 start. These opportunities are within the Department of Space and Climate Physics, and projects are in the fields of space science, planetary science, astrophysics, and systems engineering.

Funded Studentships:

• STFC Studentships (Deadline: 26^th January)
• UCL Research Excellence Scholarship (Deadline 12^th January, for prospective and current students)
• UCL Research Excellence Scholarship for Cross-disciplinary Training (One-year; Deadline: 12^th January, for prospective and current students)

Additionally, applications from self-funding students are welcome at any time. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact their prospective supervisor and discuss the proposed PhD project before their application.

Full details of the application process, supervisors, and projects can be found >>here<<.

Novel Biosignatures for Microfossil Interpretation

About the lab
The ProtoSigns Lab led by Dr. Seán Jordan in the School of Chemical Sciences at Dublin City University is at the forefront of pioneering research in the fields of Geobiology and Astrobiology. Their mission is to expand the experimental space for protocells, further our understanding of the origin of life on Earth, and develop innovative biosignatures for microfossil interpretation from Earth and beyond.

Position Overview:
This project aims to create a semi-automated microfluidic system, allowing for the rapid study of protocell formation, stability, and silicification under various environmental conditions. The resulting microstructures will undergo a suite of state-of-the-art analyses to generate a database of physical and chemical control data which will be statistically interrogated to identify novel biosignatures. The biosignatures will then be verified by applying them to geological microstructures from early Archean (ca. 3.5 billion years old) and Devonian (ca. 400 million years old) deposits. The successful candidate will contribute to the development of novel biosignatures and their application to microfossils from the early Earth and
potentially elsewhere in our Solar System.

Application deadline: 20^th November 2023
Start date: 8^th January 2024 (or as soon as possible thereafter)

For inquiries and to submit your application, please contact Dr. Seán Jordan

>> More details about the project can be found here <<

Developing a habitability index for Earth’s biosphere

Planet Earth has been continuously habitable for over 3 billion years. During that immense time the Earth has been subject to considerable environmental perturbation, resulting from both intrinsic and extrinsic forces. These range from the smaller-scale, such as solar radiation changes from orbital forcing mechanisms, to the very large scale, such as an asteroid strike. The biosphere has shown considerable resilience to environmental perturbation and provides the only quantifiable measure of habitability available to us in the Cosmos.

In this project, the group seeks to examine and quantify the response of the biosphere to different levels of perturbation.

>> More details about the project can be found here <<

Supervisors: Mark Williams, Tom Harvey, Sergei Petrovskiy and John Maltby
Contact: Mark Williams (mri@le.ac.uk)

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

The application process has two stages designed to decrease selection biases:

• Stage 1: applications are submitted through an anonymised questionnaire (deadline: July 7)
• Stage 2: selected applicants are invited for an interview.

Expectations for the candidates:

• Early-career researchers who are interested in an interdisciplinary exchange based on a solid university education in at least one subject of natural sciences or engineering.
• Candidates who would like to actively join the YRP@Graz initiative, helping to develop the tradition of the involved institutes.
• Excellent researchers who have the courage to cross scientific borders in a responsible way and to support the international societies with their research.
• Team players who aspire to continue their skill development, as well as to support the research location Graz.

>> Details about the offered projects can be found here <<

You can now apply for two fully-funded PhD studentships in Astronomy and Planetary Science at the Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science (CAPS), University of Kent, starting in September 2023!

The group consists of 8 academics and 20 postgraduate students with research interests covering Solar System and Space Science, the Interstellar Medium, Star Formation, Galactic Structure, Astrochemistry and Astrobiology. 

There are four projects that are being offered on a competitive application process:

• Conditions of the Formation of Terrestrial Planets
• Space Chemistry: Exploring our chemical origins and habitability
• Search for the Precursors of the Highest Mass Stars in the Universe
• Exploring Impact Induced Cratering and Chemistry in Layered Solar System Bodies 

More details can be found here. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact prospective supervisors to discuss the research project before they apply. 

📅 The application deadline is Sunday April 23rd 2023 📅