PhD Applications
We welcome applications to join the
Particle Cosmology Group as a postgraduate student and carry out research for a PhD degree.
Details of the Groups' interests can be found in our
research and
people pages.
The graduate school webpage can be found at
nottingham.ac.uk/graduateschool and the postgraduate student network page at
su.nottingham.ac.uk/organisation/postgraduate.
A list of proposed projects starting September 2020 can be found below.
Dark matter: from the early Universe to the Milky Way
Understanding the nature of dark matter (DM) is one of the main outstanding problems of both astronomy and particle physics. Particle Physics provides us with various well motivated DM candidates, such as WIMPs, axions and Primordial Black Holes (PBHs). To detect dark matter we need to understand how it's distributed, which depends on the formation and evolution of the first dark matter structures. There are various potential PhD projects available in this area, involving varying mixtures of theory/data-comparison, analytic/numerical calculations and astro/particle physics.
- What does data from the GAIA satellite tell us about the local DM distribution?
- How to axion mini-clusters evolve and what are the resulting experimental signatures in lab experiments and gravitational lensing observations?
- What is the mass function of PBHs and how do they cluster?
Proposed by Prof. Anne Green
The cosmological constant problem, modified gravity and quantum field theory
Naturalness has been a major driving force in Theoretical Physics in the last hundred years and it’s greatest failure is known as the cosmological constant problem. As a result the resolution of the cosmological constant problem is expected to yield an important breakthrough in our current understanding of fundamental physics. This PhD will look to build and develop new ideas motivated by the naturalness criteria. Much of the focus will be on proposals that represent a (large scale) modification of Einstein General Relativity, with an emphasis on understanding them from a quantum field theoretic perspective. Particular emphasis will be placed on developing the idea of vacuum energy sequestering, originally proposed by Kaloper and Padilla. Vacuum energy sequestering is an award winning idea that looks to address the cosmological constant problem in a completely new way, exploiting a global modification of General Relativity.
Proposed by Prof. Tony Padilla
Dark Energy and the Cosmological Constant
One of the unknowns about dark energy, the illusive substance driving the observed acceleration of the universe, is what it is composed of? Is it a genuine cosmological constant of the observed energy density, or is it something else like an evolving scalar field (Quintessence) or something that is arising from a modification of Einstein's General theory of relativity on large scales. This has come into stark question recently with the apparent tension arising in local and global measurements of the Hubble parameter today. One possible explanation is that we could be seeing evidence of early dynamical dark energy at a redshift linked to the region between matter radiation equality and recombination. Using a combination of analytical approaches to dark energy evolution through dynamical systems, and a complementary approach using genetic machine learning techniques to reconstruct the best fitting dark energy equation of state, we aim to say something more definitive than is currently possible about the nature of dark energy in the universe.
Proposed by Prof. Ed Copeland and Dr. Moss
Cosmological Implications of the Clockwork Mechanism
The “clockwork mechanism” has recently been proposed as a way to generate light particles with suppressed interactions in fundamental theories with no small parameters. This provides a powerful toolbox for model building, offering, for example, a potential solution to the hierarchy problem.
More recently, significant attention has been drawn to generalising the clockwork mechanism in gravitational theories, leading to the development of “clockwork gravity” models and the uncovering of their 5-dimensional origin.
This project will explore the potential usefulness of clockwork gravity for building cosmological models of the early and late universe.
Proposed by Dr. Saffin and Dr. Avgoustidis
Further information on the admissions procedure can be found
here. All applications should be made online at
pgapps.nottingham.ac.uk where the prospectus can also be found. Once you have submitted your application, please also send a brief email containing your application ID to the astronomy admissions coordinator, Prof. Tony Padilla
The deadline for funded applications is January 31. There is no deadline for self-funded applications.
Postdoc Applications
We invite applications for four postdoctoral positions. These are:
1.
Research Associate/Fellow in Early Universe Cosmology
2 year STFC funded position
closing date: 20th Feb 2020
2.
Research Associate/Fellow in Dark Energy and Modified Gravity
2 year STFC funded position
closing date: 24th Feb 2020
3. & 4.
Research Associate/Fellow in Dark Energy, Modified Gravity and Screening Mechanisms
2 year Leverhulme Trust funded positions
closing date: 26th Feb 2020
Informal enquiries for positions 1 and 2 may be addressed to Ed Copeland, email: ed.copeland@nottingham.ac.uk and for positions 3 and 4 to Clare Burrage email: clare.burrage@nottingham.ac.uk. Please note that applications sent directly to these email addresses will not be accepted.
Applicants who wish to be considered for more than one of these positions must submit separate applications for each position.