PhD Projects 2015
PhD positions are available in our researchб team, starting on October 2015. Details about the admission process may be found at http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/admissions/
PhD opportunities are open on all research area of the group (see http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/research/exoplanets/research/ for details). We have identified at least three topics but we are open to suggestion or wishes:
Development and commissioning of a High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher for the Isaac Newton Telescope.
This is an opportunity for a PhD student to get involved in the early stages of a substantial astronomical instrument and its scientific exploitation. Some novel work is required on: understanding the stellar-activity radial-velocity profile using spectro-polarimetry data; calibration and performance enhancements involving a significant amount of laboratory experimentation – these could be related to: fibre optics (octagonal or other shaped fibre scramblers), improvements to the spectral calibration method (Fabry-Perot light source etc.) and techniques for accurate CCD characterisation/calibration. The instrument is expected to be commissioned in 2018 and so there is opportunity to get involved with the analysis of the first science data coming from the survey.б The applicant needs to be highly motivated and competent in a laboratory environment.
Search and characterisation of exoplanets with Kepler-2 mission
The NASA Kepler-2 mission provides an opportunity to detect new transiting exoplanets and to conduct programmes to characterise known planets using occultation and phase-curve data. Altogether, these datasets allows constraints to be placed on the climate patterns of exoplanets. This is an opportunity for a motivated PhD student to carry out an exciting programme on space borne exoplanet data. The applicant should be familiar with computer programming and motivated to carry out data analysis in a competitive context.
Comprehensive view on exoplanet atmosphere observed by Spitzer.
In the past 10 years the Spitzer Space Telescope produced a flurry of exciting results in exoplanet science, by retrieving spectroscopic information on planet atmospheres. Since these first measurements, tremendous progress has been done in terms of data reduction, analyses and atmospheric modelling. This is an opportunity to revisit results in the light of novel techniques and build a comprehensive (and systematic free) picture of our knowledge about exoplanet atmospheres from Spitzer data. This work is ideal for a motivated PhD student to carry out exciting work at the boundaries between data analysis and exoplanet atmosphere models from a large database. The applicant should be familiar with computer programming, motivated to carry out data analysis and interested in planet atmospheres chemistry and dynamics.