The Centre for Radio Cosmology (CRC) at the University of the Western Cape is offering MSc and PhD scholarships for 2024.
Successful applicants will be supervised by a team of CRC staff on cutting-edge projects. The available topics cover the Key Science goals of the SKA in cosmology and galaxy evolution – which are closely linked to the science goals of the major upcoming optical/ infrared surveys, such as DESI, Rubin/LSST and Euclid.
Successful applicants will also have the possibility to be co-supervised by visiting professors from the University of Edinburgh, Rutgers University, Oxford University, Queen Mary University of London, University of Turin, University of Manchester, and Shanghai AO. In addition, they have opportunities to spend time in institutions of visiting professors. CRC’s research depends critically on data science, and CRC students have access to the resources of the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy at the University of the Western Cape.
Research Topics
The Centre for Radio Cosmology offers a range of topics that tackle some of the big questions at the forefront of international cosmology and galaxy evolution. Research students in South Africa have a historic opportunity provided by MeerKAT and the future SKA. In each research topic, there is a focus on the South African-based radio arrays MeerKAT, SKA, HERA and HIRAX. Some topics also look at the synergy of radio surveys with optical/ infrared galaxy surveys such as LSST, DESI and Euclid. Visit here to see the brief descriptions of the research topics.
Duration of the Programs and scholarship values
CRC scholarships are governed by SARAO. The 2024 levels for the Full Cost of Study are:
MSc: 2 years at USD 10, 269 per year + travel grant (up to USD 1, 845/year) + equipment grant (up to USD 1,737 for two years)
PhD: 3 years at USD 10, 651 per year + travel grant (up to USD 2,225/year) + equipment grant (up to USD 2,497 for three years)
Scholarships are granted on a year-by-year basis – i.e. continuing into the next year depending on satisfactory progress.
Application requirements
Preference will be given to students who fit into the demographic guidelines provided by the NRF and SARAO (South African Radio Astronomy Observatory). In addition, applicants should be South African citizens or permanent residents or citizens of Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, or Zambia.
Kindly check NRF rules for further eligibility requirements.
How to apply
Applicants should email a single PDF document containing the following:
- Your CV.
- Transcripts of all university-level results.
- A brief statement of research interests (1 page). Please include all previous research experience, with details of the research project and supervisor. Please indicate which of the projects listed below you are interested in.
- Applicants should also arrange for two reference letters to be sent directly to CRC by the same closing date via email.
Deadline: 5 June 2023
For more information, kindly visit here.
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