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  2. Astronomy Unit
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  4. Jobs and Opportunities

Jobs and Opportunities

PhD Opportunities

Each year we accept applications for a funded PhD in Astronomy. The deadline for STFC and QMUL funded studentships is usually 31 January for entry in the following academic year (although students with external funding may apply at any time). Please take a look at our PhD project page, or get in touch with a member of staff to learn more about the research opportunities that are available. Information on the next main round of PhD applications will be made available in the autumn.

Research Fellowship Opportunities

The Astronomy Unit has a high level of success in supporting research fellowship applications. We currently host 1 UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, 2 Royal Society University Research Fellows, 1 Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow, 1 UKRI Stephen Hawking Fellow, 1 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, 1 ERC Starting Grant and 1 ERC Consolidator Grant.

If you are interested in applying for a fellowship in the Astronomy Unit at Queen Mary, please get in touch - you can contact Dr Tom Haworth and Prof David Burgess and/or the academic staff member most relevant to your research, all of whom will be happy to discuss your options and the application procedures. There are often restrictions on who can apply for these fellowships and how many we can support, so please contact us well in advance of any deadlines (see below for further details).

Available fellowships include:

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships (ERF): The STFC application deadline is usually sometime in September. The Astronomy Unit is normally able to support around 2 applications per year and we use a competitive internal application process to select candidates. Our internal application deadline this year is the 8th July 2025; late applications are possible, but may not receive full consideration. If you are interested in applying for an ERF with QMUL as your host institution, please follow the instructions below, or contact Dr Tom Haworth andProf David Burgess with informal queries.

Prospective candidates should submit a draft case for support, CV and publication list by email to Dr Tom Haworth and Prof David Burgess by the 8th July 2025.

The main things we are looking for are that you have a compelling, timely, and well-scoped research proposal, evidence of leadership ability, and a case for how your research connects to existing research themes at QMUL and in the UK more broadly.

Please contact us (the earlier the better) if you would like to discuss any details of the internal application process.

Royal Society University Research Fellowships (URF) and Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships (DHF): These tend to have a similar deadline to the ERF, and while there are no limits from the Royal Society on how many applications we can enter, we do make a selection due to limited resources available to support applications. We will try to give a quick yes/no answer as to whether we can support your application. The application deadline is usually in September. Please get in touch with us as soon as possible if you are interested in applying for a URF with us. Preparing and reviewing the application materials (including costings) takes some time, so candidates should be prepared to have their materials sent for internal review well in advance of the deadline. Ideally URF applicants should contact us by the same deadline as for the ERF (8th July 2025).

Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Fellowships: Similarly please get in touch with us, ideally by the 8th July 2025, so we can let you know whether we can support your application and prepare it in time for the internal QMUL deadlines.

Other Fellowships: For any other fellowship that you are interested in applying for at QMUL (e.g. Future Leaders Fellowship, Stephen Hawking Fellowship) please contact us well in advance of the deadline to discuss your application, as there are often internal deadlines that can be significantly in advance of the funder deadlines.

Job Opportunities

For job opportunities, please see the QMUL job listings.

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