PhDs

AstrobiologyOU are committed to developing the next generation of researchers and offer PhDs across all areas of the group’s research, spanning several academic schools at The Open University

There are no PhD studentships currently open for applications, please check back later

We have previously offered PhDs in areas including:

Microbial survival in Martian brines: implications for planetary protection
Development and validation of innovative, near real-time analytical tools to enable mitigation of contamination within cleanrooms of the UK spacecraft & satellite industry
Tracing the dispersal of extremophiles within geothermal aerosols in Iceland
Carbon monoxide-fuelled life in saline environments
After the dust has settled: The post-impact hydrothermal system at Rochechouart impact crater and implications for Early Earth
A deep dive into biogeochemical cycling in Icelandic Hot Springs
From Warm and Wet to Cold and Dry on Mars: Ancient Environments as Seen from a Rover Perspective
Signatures of organic-salt-ice interactions in the plumes of Enceladus and other icy moons
Whose Commons is it Anyway? Environmental Authority and the Development of Space Law
How to Find Life on Mars: Investigating biological potential and putative biosignature formation

PhD Funding

PhDs are funded from a number of different sources that will cover fees and living expenses.
This includes funding from The Open University, the Central England NERC Training Alliance (CENTA), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the UK Space Agency (UKSA).
Details of funding are specific to each PhD offered, but general details can be found on the OU's Studentship and funding page.

We welcome the opportunity to work with organisations that could fully or partially support a PhD student through their studies.