Up to 10 PhD Scholarships for joint PhDs in Astrophysics 2024/2025

The Astrophysics Group of Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute of the University of Groningen (UG) invite applications for up to ten Joint-PhD Scholarships under the joint research chair of computational astronomy. In this application round, projects are available in the following areas:

• Cosmic Filaments and Voids: Gas Content and Flows of Galaxies
• Next Generation Frameworks for the First Billion Years: Synergizing the SKA and Galaxy Facilities
• Morphological Classification in Astronomical Surveys with Convolutional Neural Networks
• The Design and Data Analysis of Radio-Receivers to Detect the Signal of Neutral Hydrogen from the Infant Universe
• Detecting Neutral Hydrogen from the Epoch of Reionization and Cosmic Dawn with HERA and LOFAR
• Cross-Correlating of MeerKAT 21-cm Intensity Mapping Surveys with such as Euclid and LSST
• Probing the Early Universe and Kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effects with CMB Data Using Machine Learning
• Deep Imaging of Brown Dwarfs/Exoplanets with MeerKAT, LOFAR and Euclid
• Enhancing MeerKAT Data Reliability to Explore Dwarf Galaxies through HI Surveys

Links to more details on these projects, supervisors, and expected backgrounds of the applicants are provided below. If not all ten Joint-PhD Fellowship positions are filled, a second round may be announced.

The Astrophysics Research Group at SU focuses on connecting fundamental physics with astronomical observations to understand the fundamental laws of the Universe and unravel the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Our active research directions include the epoch of reionization, extragalactic astronomy, the early Universe, dark matter indirect detection, neutron stars, and black holes. We are heavily involved in South Africa’s MeerKAT, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) telescopes, LSST (Vera C. Rubin Observatory), FAST telescope, and CMB Stage-4. We also use data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, South Pole Telescope, ESO’s Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS), and Dark Energy Survey Instrument (DESI).

The Kapteyn Astronomical Institute at UG is part of the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA) and is recognised worldwide for its quality research in multiple areas of astronomy. With about twenty faculty members, twenty-five postdocs, and sixty PhD students, it is the second-largest astronomical institute in the Netherlands. Groningen, a historic town in the northern Netherlands, plays a strategic role in Dutch astronomy, hosting both the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, the low-energy astrophysics division of the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), and the NOVA sub-mm lab. The Kapteyn Institute has a strong connection with the nearby Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) in Dwingeloo, a European centre of radio astronomy research. There are also strong interdisciplinary connections with other institutes in the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Dutch Origins Centre. We are heavily involved in e.g. HST/JWST, VLT/ELT, Gaia, KiDS/Euclid, WHT-WEAVE, LOFAR/SKA, ALMA and more.

Criteria:

We seek excellent students with a strong background in (astro)physical, engineering, or computer sciences, depending on the specific projects, who desire to obtain a joint Ph.D. degree from a top-ranked European and a top-ranked South African university.

To be eligible to apply, a candidate must hold a Master's or equivalent degree in Physics, Astronomy, Engineering, or Computer Science by the starting date of the enrolment (1 January – 31 March 2025). Previous research experience and skills will be important criteria for selection.

English is the common language spoken at both institutes and proficiency in English is a requirement for acceptance. For more details, see: UG Admission Criteria

The PhD students will be registered at both SU and UG. The students will defend their PhD thesis at the University of Groningen and obtain a joint Ph.D. degree from both universities. All PhD positions are fully funded for four years at the level appropriate for their stays in South Africa (around 3 years) and the Netherlands (around 1 year).

More detailed information on the individual projects offered, supervisors, requirements, and how to apply can be found at: UG Kapteyn Institute and SU Astrophysics Group

Informal inquiries are welcome and should be sent to [email protected].