Postgraduate Research at the IfA

Overview

At any one time, there are 20-25 PhD students studying at the IfA. The PhD degree takes 3.5 years, and involves research covering a very broad range of topics. A unique aspect of astronomy in Edinburgh is the co-location of the IfA with the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, and so there is the option for joint PhD's that involve state-of-the-art instrumentation. The general IfA research and ATC research pages give details of current research.

The 3-4 year British PhD is rapid by comparison with programmes in many other countries. Therefore, the focus in Edinburgh is very much on undertaking thesis-related research from the outset. This proceeds in parallel with more formal education in background knowledge and transferrable skills. In the first year, there is a reading group that covers the basics of astrophysics in a series of tutorial sessions. Also during this year, students take a variety of advanced courses in physics and astrophysics, as advised by their supervisor. These courses are part of the graduate school of the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), which allows access via video technology to a wide range of courses throughout Scotland. From 2008, there is a requirement to pass taught courses as part of the PhD. In the second year, students present a pedagogical seminar in which a restricted topic of interest is given a at the advanced undergraduate level.

PhD projects

In order to start the research process efficiently, we attempt to match students and supervisors in advance. Generally, our PhD offers are associated with a particular project and supervisor. This is a commitment only on our part, however: a student coming for a PhD here will be guaranteed a project that they believe they will find interesting - but if a student's interests change, it is easy to consider alternative projects.

For information on projects, consult the list of projects for entry in September 2010. This will be updated until approximately February. A fuller picture of the research areas can be gleaned from the list offered last year. and for comparison, the projects that were offered to students in previous years can be accessed by changing the year in the above link.

Funding

We normally admit about 6 new students per year.

For UK students, the main source of funding is the STFC studentship programme, for which we have an allocation of about 5 fully-funded places per year. STFC imposes certain eligibility requirements.

For non-UK students, the main funding opportunity is the SUPA Prize Studentship programme. This is highly competitive, being open to students regardless of nationality, and covering all Scottish Universities with Physics departments. About 10% of our students are funded this way. UK students can also apply for SUPA Prize studentships (which pay slightly more), but competition is significantly stiffer than for STFC grants.

From time-to-time we have European Union network funding (for applicants of all nationalities). Applicants from outside the EU should note that the University of Edinburgh imposes higher fees for some categories of overseas students (as do most UK universities).

Depending on your country of origin, there are various funding options for your PhD. This is not an exhaustive list, and we welcome enquiries from students who know of other options, including self-funded study.

Applications

Applications for admission to PhD studies at the IfA are now handled by a new electronic system called EUCLID. The main period for applications is December and January, as interviews are normally held in February and early March.

Dates for interviews in 2010 will appear here.

Any changes to the dates will also be posted here.

The application process is NOW OPEN. You are strongly advised to apply by the end of January, but we may consider applications up to a month or more later. SUPA Prize Studentship competition closes at the end of January.

You should go to the Application Process and click on 'Apply' near the top-right of the screen. Note that the application refers always to a 3-year PhD, but you can ignore this; most of our funded places are for 3.5 years. This will take you to a EUCLID screen where you will need to sign up for an account. Please note that the application process may take 20-30 minutes, and asks for some information which is not really necessary initially. Please look at notes first.

Please note: the system may bombard applicants with reminders to upload transcripts, references etc. This is a teething problem, and can be ignored provided you have given email addresses of referees.

All our STFC grants for PhD studies and the SUPA studentships will normally be allocated by early April, although applicants with their own funding can be accepted much later than this.

College information
Physics and Astronomy at Edinburgh is part of the College of Science and Engineering. This link gives wider information about the College.

Postgraduate prospectus
The University's Postgraduate prospectus is available electronically in a variety of formats.

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