This page lists the currently available PhD projects to begin in 2026.

Applications needed to be submitted by November 3rd. Reference letters needed to be submitted by November 28th. By mid-December we will invite candidates for a presentation and interviews to be held on February 12th and 13th, 2026. 

API staff may be contacted with questions about projects, but please do not email unsolicited application materials to API staff. More information about the recruitment process can be found here. 

To apply for currently open positions please go to page  https://api.uva.nl/vacancies/vacancies-api.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Creating a Solid Foundation for Planet Formation: What is the Origin of Pebbles? - 3 Positions in an ERC Project

Advisor: Carsten Dominik (dominik@uva.nl)

Pebbles are the critical ingredient of all current planet formation models. Pebbles are large, compacted dust aggregates that are supposed to form early on in protoplanetary disks, and huge amounts of them with very specific properties are needed. All current models simply assume they exist with maximum abundance. Do they really exist? How are they made? Do they have the properties needed to actually jump-start and accelerate planet formation?

The ERC project GT4Pebbles (Ground Truth for Pebbles) will answer these questions with a program of rigorous dust aggregation modeling, based on the results of a new and revolutionary experiment. We are building the experiment with our partner Prof. Jürgen Blum at the Technische Universität Braunschweig (Germany), the leading laboratory for this type os studies. This job advertisement is for three PhD positions at the University of Amsterdam, to do the advanced modeling. Each PhD student will work in close collaboration with the other students in the group, and with the laboratory group in Braunschweig, from where we will get the input of physical properties needed in the modeling. Become part of an exciting, interdisciplinary, international team (https://gt4pebbles.eu) that is tackling one of the most important questions in planet formation.

If you would like to work on GT4Pebbles, please indicate this in your cover letter, including an intended starting date. 

PhD Position 1: A collisional model for dust aggregates, based on continuum mechanics.

We will use laboratory observations of colliding dust aggregates and measurements of mechanical properties of dust as it is produced by our experiments to build a model that describes how dust grows and gets compressed in collisions. Since these aggregates are very large, maybe 10^15 individual particles, we will develop a continuum-mechanics model to describe and treat the collisions, in close interaction with laboratory experiments. This will give you unique training on numerical mechanics, astrophysics, and a deep understanding of laboratory studies. You should be available to start in September 2026 at the latest. 

PhD Position 2: Dust Aggregation with full treatment of Porosity, Mass, and Compaction.

We will build and apply the world's first dust growth model with full treatment of aggregate mass and porosity, to follow the growth of aggregates and their eventual transformation into pebbles. This enormously challenging task is possible—we do have a proof-of-concept implementation that we can build on. You will be working closely with the PhD student from Project 1 and with the laboratory group to test and confirm your results. You will get strong training in high-performance computing, likely including graphics card computing, astronomical applications, and in the understanding and use of laboratory experiments. The student should start in September 2026 at the latest.

PhD Position 3: Interaction of Light with Large Porous Dust Aggregates and the Link to Observations.

We will develop a new approach to model how very large, fluffy dust aggregates interact with light, in order to develop observational diagnostics for the fluffy, intermediate stage of dust on its growth and transformation into pebbles. Currently, there are no reliable ways to compute the absorption and scattering of light by such particles. You will get strong training in optical properties of dust and dust analogues. You will interact closely with the experimental group that produces extremely realistic aggregates and directly measures their interaction with light. In our network, we have some of the best planet-forming disk observers in the world, and we will apply your research to the latest data. The PhD student should start at the latest in September 2026, but preferably already in March. If you are interested in this position and can start early, please contact the advisor directly in addition to submitting your application.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unraveling the nature of fast radio bursts through a multifaceted look at their local environments – 2 Positions in an ERC Project

Advisor: Ziggy Pleunis (z.pleunis@uva.nl)

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are impulses of radio waves that last for only a fraction of a second and that are detectable over extragalactic distances. The origin of FRBs remains elusive, though various types of highly magnetized compact objects, e.g. magnetars, are favored candidate sources. A small fraction of FRBs has been observed to repeat and the most hyperactive of repeating FRB sources produce up to hundreds of detectable bursts per hour. One key to understanding the origin of FRBs is to study their local environments in detail, which is possible because the FRB signal holds a record of 

all the burst's interactions with the magnetized plasma it encountered on its way. Free electrons disperse the radio waves and inhomogeneities in the free electron distribution along the way can cause multi-path propagation that lead to scatter-broadening and scintillation of the signal. Magnetic fields furthermore cause Faraday rotation of the polarized light. Especially the lines-of-sight towards repeating FRB sources can be studied in detail as the timeseries of dispersion, scattering and scintillation allow a better decomposition of the structures local to the source and other structures along the way.

We have two PhD positions available as part of the ERC Starting Grant project "EnviroFlash", in which we aim to revolutionize our understanding of how the local environments of FRBs are connected to their activity and burst properties. This will both help us understand the nature of FRBs and make them better astrophysical tools to study the Universe at large. One student will work on precise localizations of FRBs with the CHIME/FRB experiment and its "Outriggers" upgrade, while the other student will focus on monitoring nearby repeating FRB sources with the LOFAR 2.0 telescope, both world-class instruments. Depending on the students' interests, there are opportunities to contribute to telescope commissioning, multi-wavelength follow-up observations and to develop skills in astrophysical modeling. The PhD students will become experts in radio astronomy, astrophysical transients, the interstellar medium and data analysis techniques and will be embedded in the AstroFlash (https://astroflash-frb.github.io/) research group.

While prior experience in radio astronomy is not required, having a solid background in (astro)physics, programming and data analysis is highly valued.

For this project, the successful candidates can start any time between 1 February 2026 and 31 January 2027. If you'd like to work on EnviroFlash, please indicate on your cover letter your intended start date.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mapping neutron stars - inside and out  - FUNDING TO BE CONFIRMED

Advisor: Anna Watts (a.l.watts@uva.nl)

Over the last few years we have developed a new technique for measuring the masses and radii of neutron stars, taking advantage of relativistic effects on their  X-ray emission. This helps us to figure out the nature of the supranuclear density matter in the neutron star core, a major challenge in nuclear physics. The technique that we use also lets us make maps of the hot X-ray emitting regions on the neutron star surface, no mean feat for city-sized stars thousands of light years away! And this  we can use to learn about their magnetic field geometries and other surface phenomena.  

Pending the results of current funding applications, we could be looking to hire 1-2 PhD students to join our team working on this topic. We'll be looking to improve our physical models, connect better to pulsar emission theory and observations, and of course continue to make ground-breaking measurements! The projects will be computationally challenging but a lot of fun, and you would be working as part of a large international network of collaborators.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Radio stars, exoplanets, and life: Creating weather reports for distant worlds – FUNDING TO BE CONFIRMED

Advisor: Joseph Callingham (j.r.callingham@uva.nl)

Recently, we have discovered stars emitting at the lowest radio frequencies with the radio telescope LOFAR. This was unexpected. We are not sure what is exactly driving this emission. Is it truly coming from the stars themselves, or could it be the telltale sign of a hidden, close-in exoplanet? Your project will tackle this puzzle head-on by hunting for radio signals in these stellar systems and uncovering what they reveal about stars, planets, and their interactions. With hundreds of hours of LOFAR observing time already secured, you’ll have an unparalleled opportunity to make discoveries that could reshape our understanding of star–planet systems and what that means for life. This is your chance to become a pioneer in low-frequency radio astronomy, while also building expertise that will be in high demand as we enter the era of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). A background in radio astronomy, stellar astrophysics, or exoplanet science would be helpful - but curiosity and enthusiasm are the only real prerequisites. I am happy to structure the thesis in a direction that interests the student, whether that is more technical, theoretical, or anything else related to variable radio sources.