Study

Study with us at all levels from undergraduate to PhD. Below you can find more information about our study options.

Undergraduate

Studying in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers you a choice of exciting degree pathways. Our Earth and Planetary Science degree gives you the opportunity to visit geological sites of meteor activity as well as the freedom to conduct your own research project. Previous students have, through their research projects, gone on to be successfully published in leading planetary science journals. There are also excellent opportunities for our students to enter industry after graduation. Among other institutions, some of our alumni have gone on to join the prestigious intern programme at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in the USA.

Postgraduate research

Our group includes a diverse range of people at various levels of study. We always look to welcome new students into our group and would be happy to hear from anyone with a background in geology, geochemistry, chemistry, physics or planetary science at degree level. While not necessary, it is beneficial if you have experience in conducting independent research. Much like our undergraduate students, our postgraduate students have taken up opportunities on the intern programme at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and some have also had the opportunity to visit NASA and take part in mission planning activities.

Want to join our group?

If you’re interested in joining our group as an independent research fellow, please visit the Department website to find out about available funding opportunities:

• Support for researchers on the Earth and Environmental Sciences website

If you’re interested in joining our group as a PhD student you can find out details of our advertised research projects on the Department website:

• Doctoral training on the Earth and Environmental Sciences website

If you want to work with our planetary science research group academic staff to develop your own PhD project at any time, we suggest that you discuss ideas on the following topics with these people:

• Analytical instrument development – Jamie Gilmour or Ray Burgess;
• Antarctic meteorite research – Katherine Joy or Rhian Jones;
• Experimental petrology – Rhian Jones or Joshua Snape;
• Lunar samples and exploration mission research – Katherine Joy or Romain Tartese or Joshua Snape;
• Martian sample analysis science research – Ray Burgess, Greg Holland, or Jamie Gilmour;
• Volatile records in meteorite groups – Rhian Jones (meteorites) or Romain Tartese (meteorites, Moon).

Explore the research profiles of these staff on the People page. You can explore more about funding opportunities for postgraduate research on the University website:

• Funding on the University website

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship applications 2024 / 25

University of Manchester, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Internal deadline: 2 August 2024 STFC deadline: 1 October 2024.

If you are interested in applying for an STFC Ernest Rutherford fellowship in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in Manchester, please get in touch with Professor Rhian Jones, or one of the other Planetary Science group members. We will be happy to provide further guidance.

To be considered for nomination, please read the information on the STFC site (Ernest Rutherford Fellowship 2024 – UKRI). Before the internal deadline (2 August 2024), submit a summary document to Rhian Jones, outlining your Vision and Approach (see the “Vision and Approach” section of the guidance on “How to Apply”). This summary document should be a maximum 3 sides of A4/letter paper, 11-point Arial or equivalent. This document is a preliminary summary, and it does not need to be at the level of a polished proposal or fit within specific word limits. Within the document you should aim to:

• Summarise the research you propose to do. See the “Vision” section of the guidance on “How to Apply”.
• Indicate why Manchester is a suitable place to carry out the research you propose. Include a description of what facilities you require, and potential collaborators within Manchester as well as externally. See the “Approach” section of the guidance on “How to Apply”.
• Tell us how you plan to address each of the questions in the UKRI narrative CV template (Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI): guidance – UKRI). See the “Applicant Capability to Deliver” section of the guidance on “How to Apply”.

In addition, please identify your top 5 relevant publications with a less than 3-line explanation for each of why it is important and what your role was in the work. See the “List of directly relevant research publications or outputs” section of the guidance on “How to Apply”.

We aim to inform you of our decision no later than 21 August 2024.