The Circulation of Planetary Atmospheres, Mathematics – PhD (Funded)

The University of Exeter’s College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, is inviting applications for a fully-funded STFC funded PhD studentship to commence in September 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover UK/EU tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £15,009 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study. The student would be based in Mathemtaics in the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences at the Streatham Campus in Exeter.

Project Description:
This studentship will explore the geophysical fluid dynamics and climate of planetary atmospheres. The successful candidate will investigate how the large-scale circulation of a terrestrial atmosphere interacts with radiation and a hydrology cycle to produce its climate, with particular emphasis on determining the necessary conditions for liquid water to exist at the planet’s surface, potentially providing the conditions for life to form. The project will involve numerical modelling, using models with a range of complexities, combined with theoretical exploration. Comparison with planetary bodies in our own Solar System (Earth, Mars, Venus, Titan), past and present, will be used as benchmarks. The project may focus on a particular planetary body or process, or seek a more general understanding of the nature of exo-planetary climates.

The studentship will cover a stipend at the minimum Research Council rate, £15,009 in 2019/20, research costs and tuition fees at the UK/EU rate for students who meet the residency requirements outlined by the STFC. Students from EU countries who do not meet the residency requirements may still be eligible for a fees-only award but no stipend. Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are not eligible for funding. Further information about eligibility can be found here.