Research Projects

We are offering a wide range of projects across three broad research areas for PhDs starting in 2023. See below for a list of staff who are available to take on students, and a list of currently available research projects. (Note that the project list is not exhaustive, and other possible topics are available too.) All of our staff welcome informal inquiries about their research and potential PhD projects, but please get in touch with the PhD admissions tutor, Dr Tim Clifton, with more general enquiries.

The following AU members are available to take on PhD students for 2023 (projects are listed below):

Cosmology and Relativity: Tessa Baker, Chris Clarkson, Tim Clifton, Karim Malik, David Mulryne, Will Sutherland

• Inflationary Cosmology and the Early Universe [PDF 635KB]
• Dark Energy, Modified Gravity, and Large-Scale Structure [PDF 154KB]
• Relativistic Cosmology and Perturbation Theory [PDF 125KB]
• Observational cosmology with Euclid LSST and the SKA [PDF 167KB]
• Gravitational Wave Cosmology [PDF 1,085KB]

Planetary Formation and Dynamics: Craig Agnor, Ed Gillen, Tom Haworth, Richard Nelson, Sijme-Jan Paardekooper

• Disc-Planet Interactions During Planet Formation [PDF 168KB]
• Global Models of Planetary System Formation [PDF 245KB]
• Stars and Planets Through Time [PDF 1,837KB]
• Planet Formation in Stellar Clusters [PDF 5,399KB]
• The First Steps of Planet Formation [PDF 4,828KB]

Space and Astrophysical Plasmas: David Burgess, Christopher Chen, Heli Hietala

• Project: Structure of shock waves across the Solar System [PDF 137KB]
• Project: Space Plasma Turbulence Throughout the Solar System and Beyond [PDF 718KB]
• Area: Exploring Solar System Plasmas Using In Situ Spacecraft Observations [PDF 249KB]
• Area: Understanding Space Weather And Our Ability To Predict Its Impacts [PDF 1,373KB]
• Area: Numerical Simulations of Space and Astrophysical Plasmas
• See also the Space and Astrophysical Plasma Physics webpages: here