Overview
We invite applications from outstanding and highly motivated students for the new Warwick Prize Scholarships in Astrophysics. The successful applicant will work with Dr Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay within the Astronomy and Astrophysics group in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick.
This overarching research project will address the lack of a realistic model of convective overshoot, which is a crucial concern for a wide range of astrophysical topics.
So far, most studies of stars have relied upon a 60-year old, 1D prescription of convection, although it has been shown to have a major shortcoming in that it produces an on/off discontinuity at the top and base of the unstable convective layers. It completely neglects convective overshoot; the phenomenon where 3D plumes travel outside the unstable regions. This ambitious goal requires the development of new 3D radiation-hydrodynamics simulations using the CO5BOLD code.
The main goals of the project are to 1) aim towards a universal physical description of convective overshoot that can be used to study the evolution of a wide range of stars, 2) improve numerical techniques in 3D stellar simulation codes that can enable further research from a large user base, and 3) measure the composition of rocks accreting onto white dwarfs, including life-forming elements such as water, carbon and silicon, with the same level of accuracy as for the meteorites in our own Solar system. More details on the project can be found here.
Warwick is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in research. Our group is involved in many major ground and space-based projects, including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, ESA's CHEOPS satellite and upcoming PLATO mission, the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), and the Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO).
Both the Physics Department and the University of Warwick hold Athena SWAN Silver awards, a national initiative to promote gender equality for all staff and students. Our Astronomy & Astrophysics group also hosts monthly equitea forums to break down barriers faced by all under-represented groups in science. We strongly value equity, diversity and inclusion, and encourage applications from all under-represented groups.
More details on PhD positions with the Astronomy and Astrophysics group at Warwick are available here.
Start Date: October 2022
Funding Duration: 4 years (ERC funded)
Applications due by: 14 January 2022
Eligibility
You must have or expect a First or Upper second class MSci, MPhys or equivalent degree in Physics or a closely related discipline. Holders of BSc honours degrees are eligible but successful BSc applicants typically have substantial additional research experience.
How To Apply
You must apply through the University’s online application system and follow the instructions. Use course code P-F3P0. Make sure to state an interest in the Astronomy and Astrophysics group. We encourage applicants to express interest in more than one available PhD project.
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