A video of the information session regarding funding options is available: (opens in a new window)Link.
Prospective candidates can reach out to staff in the school to inquire about the availability of PhD projects under their supervision.
Other Opportunities:
PhD projects in UCD Centre for Physics in Health and Medicine (Biophysical Laboratory)
Supervisors: (opens in a new window)Dr Antonio Benedetto, (opens in a new window)Prof. Pietro Ballone
The Biophysical Laboratory of the Centre for Physics in Health and Medicine at UCD Physics invites applications for PhD students supported through, e.g., Irish Research Council or UCD School of Physics SIRAT fellowships. The activity in the Laboratory includes experimental as well as computational approaches, and spans different subjects of interest for both basic research and applications. Topics include:
- Effects of Ionic liquids on biomolecules and cells ((opens in a new window)https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.
1021/acs.langmuir.7b04361 ) - Development of neutron scattering approaches for dynamics in biosystems ((opens in a new window)https://www.nature.com/
articles/srep34266 ) - Confined water at the bio-water interfaces ((opens in a new window)https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/
10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b02273 )
For more information please contact (opens in a new window)Dr Antonio Benedetto
PhD projects in UCD Centre for Physics in Health and Medicine
Supervisors: (opens in a new window)Prof. Ronan McNulty
Detector development for radiation monitoring and imaging. Semiconductor technologies used to image particle collisions at the LHC can be redeployed in a medical context. This project uses detectors with a pico-second time resolution to image electrons and protons in particle beams at hospitals in Ireland and Poland. More information at this link.
PhD projects in (opens in a new window)The Nanoscale Function Group
Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Prof Brian Rodriguez
The (opens in a new window)Nanoscale Function Group at UCD invites applications for PhD students supported through, e.g., Irish Research Council or UCD School of Physics SIRAT and Thomas Preston fellowships on the following or related topics:
Topics include:
- AFM-based tomography and nanomachining
- PFM of high-k dielectric/ferroelectric films
- Development of scanning probe microscopy-based assays of molecular binding
- Nanoscale electrical and electrochemical characterisation of energy materials
- Effect of CBD and other small molecules on protein assembly
- Decoupling electrostatic and electromechanical response: a multifrequency approach
- Machine learning for atomic force microscope bias and force spectroscopy data
- Development and characterisation of organic-based energy harvesting devices
For more information please contact (opens in a new window)Prof Brian Rodriguez.
PhD projects in The Advanced Optical Imaging Group
Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Dr. Brian Vohnsen
The Advanced Optical Imaging group at UCD invites applications for PhDs in optical sensing, visual optics, advanced optical microscopy, and adaptive optics. For more information please contact Dr Brian Vohnsen.
PhD projects in (opens in a new window)Supernovae and Explosive Transients Group
Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Dr. Morgan Fraser
The (opens in a new window)Supernovae and Explosive Transients Group welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students supported by (for example) Irish Research Council scholarships.
Potential topics include:
- Observations of core-collapse supernovae
- Electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves
- Supernova impostors and luminosity gap transients
- Progenitors of transients using the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes
- A wide variety of other cool "stuff"
For more information please contact Dr. Morgan Fraser.
PhD projects in Particle Physics
Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Prof. Ronan McNulty
- [EXPERIMENT] Central exclusive production is a special class of collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in which both projectiles remain intact. It has sensitivity to details of Quantum Chromodynamics, the theory of the strong force, and can be used to search for saturation effects, to look at the structure of the proton, and to search for exotic states of matter such as tetraquarks and odderons. This project requires analysis of data already taken at the LHC as well as contributing to future running scenarios. The student should be prepared to spend extended periods of time at CERN. (opens in a new window)More information at this link. https://inspirehep.net/literature/1718655
- [EXPERIMENT] Data-analytics for particle physics: The huge volume of data being produced at the LHC requires a new modality for analysis. One option is real-time analysis that processes data as it comes out of the experiment and discards or retains it based on dynamic criteria. Another technique is automated machine-learning that categorises data autonomously. In both scenarios, validation techniques for ensuring data integrity are vital. This project will be performed in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science at UCD.
- [THEORY] Quarkonia are bound states of heavy quarks that are produced in hadronic collisions at the LHC, but the mechanisms by which they are produced is not well known. Colour-octet and colour-singlet models can be distinguished by finding processes that give different cross-section predictions. This project calculates processes in NLO quantum chromodynamics and will be undertaken in collaboration with colleagues at Universite Paris Saclay. The opportunity also exists to confront the theoretical predictions with data from the LHC. (opens in a new window)More information at this link.
For more information please contact Prof. Ronan McNulty.
PhD projects in Star and Planet Formation
Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Dr. Deirdre Coffey
The Star and Planet Formation Group welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students who intend to apply for funding, for example, via the Irish Research Council or the UCD School of Physics SIRAT scheme.
This research involves investigations of jets from newly forming stars, via analysis of high resolution data from world class telescopes of the European Southern Observatory (VLT) and European Space Agency (HST, JWST). For more information please contact Dr Deirdre Coffey.
PhD projects in The Soft Matter Modelling Lab
Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Lobaskin
The Soft Matter Modelling Lab at UCD invites applications for PhD students supported through, e.g., Irish Research Council or UCD School of Physics SIRAT and Thomas Preston fellowships on:
- Design of drug nanocarriers using molecular simulations and machine learning. (opens in a new window)LINK.
- Development of multiscale computer simulation models of milk and study of milk rheology. (opens in a new window)LINK.
- Study of toxicity and fate of micro and nanoplastics in the environment using computer simulations. (opens in a new window)LINK.
- Computational modelling of advanced materials and bionano interface. (opens in a new window)LINK.
- Physics of collective behaviour, theoretical and computational study. (opens in a new window)LINK.
For more information please contact (opens in a new window)Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Lobaskin.
PhD projects in Plasmonics and Ultrafast NanoOptics
Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Prof. Dominic Zerulla
The Plasmonics and Ultrafast NanoOptics group welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD student enquires to write an application for a PhD scholarship with the school of physics or creating applications with other funding bodies.
Potential topics include:
- Surface Plasmon Polariton research
- Active Plasmonic devices
- Super-resolution imaging
- Active and adaptable optics
- Electromagnetic and thermal simulations
- Orientable nanotube-based systems for window glazing solutions
For more information please contact (opens in a new window)Prof. Dominic Zerulla.