PhD Opportunities in Astronomy & Radio Astronomy Engineering at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University node

We invite well-qualified students of any nationality to apply to the PhD program at the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy (CIRA), based at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. This program focuses on radio astronomy and radio astronomy engineering in support of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). We have a wide range of potential PhD projects to choose from. These are nominally for three years with a possible three month extension or a six month extension if an industry internship is undertaken.

CIRA forms one half of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), a joint venture between Curtin University and The University of Western Australia, supported by the Western Australian Government. CIRA operates the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), the precursor to the low frequency component of the SKA, and hosts a large research group focused on SKA-related topics, including transients, pulsars, accretion physics, fast radio bursts, radio galaxies,  studies of the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR), space domain awareness and planetary defence, and radio astronomy engineering research. Construction of the SKA is underway and CIRA has close connections with the SKA Observatory and the Australian SKA Regional Centre. Perth has a vibrant astronomy community with astronomers from four different institutes working closely together. 

Please note that there are 20 projects; all are open to domestic students and most are open to international students. The application for scholarship to under take one of these projects is a two stage process:

1. Review the projects listed here. Prospective students should read the instructions here and then submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) at this link. Students should contact the potential supervisor beforehand to find out more about the projects. These EoIs must be submitted by 18th August 2025, but earlier submissions are strongly encouraged.
2. If a student is the preferred choice for a given project they will be invited to proceed with the full scholarship application. The deadline for this is 31st October 2025. 

CIRA is committed to equity and diversity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates.