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School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  1. School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  2. PhD/Research
  3. China Scholarship Council Project
  4. Inflationary cosmology and the early universe

Inflationary cosmology and the early universe

Research Group: Astronomy Unit
Number of Students: 1
Length of Study in Years: 4
Full-time Project: yes

Funding

Funding is provided via the China Scholarship Council.  

  • Available to Chinese applicants only.
  • Applicant required to start in September 2025.
  • The studentship arrangement will cover overseas tuition fees for the duration of the studentship.

Project Description

The standard model of cosmology includes a period of extremely rapid expansion at early times. This period, known as cosmological inflation, lasted for only a tiny fraction of a second, but provided the initial conditions that led to the uniformly expanding Universe we see around us today. As well as this, inflation is known to produce both gravitational waves and fluctuations in the curvature of spacetime itself. These disturbances sow the seeds for the formation of large-scale structure in the Universe, as observed through galaxy surveys and the temperature fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background.


During this project, the PhD student will investigate a topical problem in the modern theory of inflation. This could include:
• Constructing and studying models of cosmological inflation, using fundamental scalar fields or ideas from high-energy theories such as string theory.
• Developing tools for calculating the observable properties of the fluctuations produced by inflation, such as the degree to which they produce structures on different scales.
• Studying the behaviour of spectator fields, which were present during inflation. This
could include the Higgs field, and its consequences for our Universe.
• Investigating the production of relics during inflation, such as primordial black holes, gravitational waves, and dark matter.

Requirements

Application Method:

To enquire about this studentship, directly contact Professor Clarkson with your CV, cover letter and English IELTS.  To apply for this studentship and for entry on to the Astronomy (Full Time) please follow the instructions detailed on the following webpage:

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/spcs/phdresearch/application-process/#apply

Deadline for application - 29th of January 2025

Supervisor Contact Details:

For informal enquiries about this position, please contact David Mulryne

E-mail: d.mulryne@qmul.ac.uk

  • The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good Honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) and MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent).
  • You will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of 6.0 in all other categories.

SPCS Academics: Dr David Mulryne

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