All of our PhD positions have now been filled.

Postgraduate Studies in Southampton

The School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton offers postgraduate studies (Ph.D.) in a variety of fields in astronomy, including observational and theoretical astrophysics of our own and other galaxies. We also have a strong interest in high-energy, space-based astrophysics in general and in particular in the major gamma-ray satellite INTEGRAL.

Possible research topics are generally outlined by the research interests of our members of staff. If you have any questions about any particular topic you are welcome to contact people directly. Prof Malcolm Coe would be glad to respond to any (in)formal enquiries.

Research projects and facilities

On the observational side, study at Southampton develops skills in astrophysics, observational technique and data analysis. Students are expected to undertake their own observations (with their supervisor's assistance) at the world's major observatories. The UK's main sites are the La Palma group on the Canary Islands, the observatory on the extinct volcano Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the Anglo-Australian Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales, the European Southern Observatory's superb Chilean sites, the VLBI radio telescopes, as well as up and coming the largest single telescope in the southern hemisphere — SALT in South Africa, and new generation radio telescopes — LOFAR and SKA.

Satellite work is also a strong part of our work, specially XMM-Newton, CHANDRA, RXTE, and INTEGRAL space observatories. The observational side of our work also typically involves sophisticated image analysis and computational modelling.

One of the primary tools of the theoretical research is the local supercomputational facility — one of the largest Beowulf clusters in the U.K. — 1000 CPUs cluster called IRIDIS. IRIDIS is capable of 3.4 trillion floating point operations per second (3.4 teraflops), and is an excellent facility for the state-of-the-art super-computational modelling. The data analysis and the visualisation is usually performed on the personal high-end Linux-boxes.

Training

We run specialist courses for post-graduates to give you the skills needed to carry out research in general and astrophysical research in particular. A regular series of talks on Mondays also gives the chance for our students to develop their presentational skills in a low key atmosphere.

Applying for PhD study in Astrophysics at Southampton

To apply you will need to get an application form (which asks brief details of your past courses) and the names and addresses of two people who can provide you with a reference. The key aspects are (a) what degree course you have done, and any relevant components, especially project work, and (b) your references. Do not worry if you do not know exactly what you want to do. It would be surprising if you did!

If you are interested in applying and would like an application form and further information, please fill in the simple on-line form. Please select the "Astrophysics" option to have your request directed to me. You can also download the postgraduate application form directly, but you still need to fill in the on-line form if you would like a copy of the Physics Postgraduate booklet sent to you.

For more information on how to apply and online application form please visit the University web page.

Funding

Our major sources of funding comes from STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council), the European Union and the University of Southampton:

(a) STFC funding : Amongst other things STFC studentships support the costs of observing trips travel to a major international conference as well as the student's living costs and tuition fees. The number of studentships available varies from year to year, and you should contact Prof Malcolm Coe for the latest information; minimally we expect at least two. STFC grants are available for British or British-resident students only (though in rare cases other EU students may have their fees paid from this source). If a non-British EU student can show that he/she has been resident within the UK for 3-years for non-educational purposes, it is possible to obtain the full STFC grant. All STFC studentships provide support for 3.5 years.

(b) European Union: we typically have 1-3 fully-funded studentships available funded by various EU schemes. These studentships are available to anyone from the EU and will meet all fees and subsistence costs for the duration of the studentship (typically 4 years).

(c) The School of Physics & Astronomy runs the Mayflower Scholarship scheme which provides full financial support for four years of study for EU students. A key component of this scheme is that the student is required to make a significant contribution to the teaching programme of the school. It is therefore essential that the student has the correct skills and knowledge to carry out these duties and this will be an important part of the assessment of their suitability. For full details on this programme look at this web page.

(d) Southampton University also offers partially-funded places for EU students. Normally another source of funds is required in addition, e.g. private income or support from some other external source - typically at a level of £10,000 per annum. For further details on the current situation and how to apply please contact Prof Malcolm Coe.

(e) Other schemes: There are other possibilities (particularly for students from the US and the Commonwealth countries) described at a British Council site devoted to funding sources for non-British students. The British Council site is a good general one to look at for questions to do with non-British students. Finally, we hope to have a studentship for a South African student that is connected with our participation in the South African Large Telescope.

For further information for international students, see www.soton.ac.uk/international.

Person to contact

Prof Malcolm Coe: room 5049 (building B46); Ext. 22108

School of Physics & Astronomy
University of Southampton
Highfield, Southampton
SO17 1BJ, U.K.

Tel. +44-(0)-23-8059-2076
Email: mjcoesoton.ac.uk