Opportunities
Fellowships
We welcome applications for senior fellowship schemes such as STFC's Ernest Rutherford Fellowship or Stephen Hawking Fellowship, Royal Society's University Research Fellowship or Dorothy Hodgkins fellowship, or ERC starter/consolidator grants. In addition, if you are interested in RAS Research and Norman Lockyer Fellowships, or MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, we welcome these as well. Our department is proud to create an inclusive research and working culture. We are supportive of fellowship application from all backgrounds, genders, ages, disabilities, religions, and other protected groups.Interested applicants are welcome to contact individual members of staff to discuss possible synergies between their work. You will need to identify a suitable staff member to act as your sponsor. We particularly welcome applications who complement our current research. Note, many of these fellowships have eligibility criteria based on when you obtained a PhD and you should check yourself with the funder's web pages to make sure you can apply.
If you wish to proceed with an application then please also notify either Dr Stuart Lumsden (s.l.lumsden@leeds.ac.uk) or Dr Richard Booth (r.a.booth@leeds.ac.uk). For the STFC and Royal Society URF schemes there is an internal sifting process in place. The deadline for both for 2025 is Friday the 11th July. We require a full narrative CV including publication list and a one page statement of research interests for the sifting process. For any other scheme, including the ERC ones, a notice of intent is required at least 8 weeks before the scheme deadline, in order to allow all internal processes to be completed, but no other paperwork is required at that time.
PhD Positions
The astrophysics group welcomes applications for PhD study. Applicants are encouraged to contact potential supervisors by email before applying. Projects currently advertised are listed below with a link for further information. For a full list of PhD projects in the School of Physics and Astronomy see here. Our department is proud to create inclusive student, research, and working cultures that are supportive and welcoming to those from all backgrounds, genders, ages, disabilities, religions, and other protected groups. We are committed to providing a postgraduate program that not only equips you with the technical and professional skills you will need in your career, but which is also enjoyable, supportive, diverse, and inclusive. We welcome all applications, but especially those from the under-represented groups in physics. Everybody’s needs will be supported, but if you do have any concerns, you can contact us, in confidence, to discuss how we can support your particular needs during a research degree at the University of LeedsCurrent projects:
The full list of currently open projects can always be searched through at research opportunities, or for ease of access the following direct links (note you may find more by searching!) listed by academic staff offering posts.- Simulating the climate and habitability of exo-Earths - Dr Catherine Walsh (Priority)
- Unveiling the formation of planets with the Square Kilometre Array - Dr John Ilee (Priority)
- The formation and evolution of planets - Dr Richard Booth (Priority - UK only)
- The non-thermal emission from colliding wind binaries - Prof Julian Pittard
- Dynamic accretion discs in astrophysics - Dr Chris Nixon
- Observational studies of massive star formation - Dr Stuart Lumsden