Physics & Chemistry: PhD Studentship in Physical Chemistry

Swansea University; Swansea; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full tuition fees covered

Annual UKRI stipend (£21,805)

Job summary

Swansea University seeks a postgraduate student to join a Leverhulme-funded research team at Swansea University Singleton Campus. You will work on applying the spin echo principle to study gravity effects on antimatter, collaborating with multiple groups within the Surface Dynamics Laboratory.

The role requires organisation, enthusiasm, and self‑motivation, with a mix of numerical and experimental work and English language proficiency as per Swansea policy. Start January 2027.

Qualifications

• IELTS 6.0 Overall (with no component below 5.5).
• UK fee eligibility for the Open-to applicants (UK/EU).
• PhD candidature requires a 2.1 or Master’s with Merit as stated by Swansea University.

Responsibilities

• Carry out innovative postgraduate research combining numerical and experimental work.
• Investigate spin echo, magnetic guidance, and surface scattering to study gravity on antimatter.

Skills

Organised

Motivated

Multidisciplinary

Education

Undergraduate degree 2.1 or higher

Master’s degree with Merit or non-UK equivalent

Job description

Organisation/Company Swansea University Department Central Research Field Physics » Other Chemistry » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 13 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/London) Country United Kingdom Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Jan 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Key Information

Open to: UK fee eligible applicants only

Funding Providers: Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award

Project Start Dates:January 2027

*(Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates.)
**In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed.

Place of study:Swansea University (Singleton Campus)

Project description:
As a recent recipient of a prestigious Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award, Dr Christopher Baker is leading a new research team to investigate the application of the spin echo principle to study the effect of gravity on antimatter. The candidate will join this vibrant multidisciplinary team, working alongside several other research groups within the Surface Dynamics Laboratory at Swansea University.

We seek an organised, enthusiastic, and self‑motivated postgraduate student to carry out innovative research. Using a combination of numerical and experimental work, the successful candidate will help investigate existing techniques (such as spin echo, magnetic guidance, and surface scattering), and develop new methods with a view to study the acceleration due to Earth's gravity on antimatter.

IELTS 6.0 Overall (with no individual component below 5.5) or Swansea University recognised equivalent.Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.

Additional Information

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate(£21,805 for 2026/27) - October 2026 onwards

PhD:Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level or a master’s degree with a minimum overall grade at ‘Merit’ (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University).

Note for international and European applicants:

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email [e-mail] with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in.

Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance, further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website .

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process. Successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with a scholarship course offer

Selection process

Please see our website for more information.