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PhD and Honours Research

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

While the AAO's primary role is the provision of world-class facilities for optical/infrared astronomy, the broad range of experience of AAO astronomers allows many opportunities for exciting and varied student research projects. These can be at either Ph.D. or Honours/Masters level.

As the AAO is not a degree-awarding body, these projects will be carried out under the co-supervision of an AAO astronomer and a University supervisor. Therefore in order to embark on one of these projects you are required to be accepted into a higher degree program at a university.

Usually the joint nature of the project will require students to spend some fraction of their time at the AAO's headquarters in Epping, a suburb 25 km north-west of the centre of Sydney, where they will have access to the office and computing facilities of the AAO. For students based outside Sydney temporary accommodation can be arranged at the ATNF Marsfield Lodge.

The first step in considering a graduate level research project at the AAO is to look through the information on potential supervisors and projects on these pages. Selecting a PhD or Honours supervisor and project will be one of the most critical decisions you will make in starting a research project - both student and advisor will be looking for someone they can work closely with, and who is well matched to the project. Talking to several prospective supervisors about a number of projects will greatly help you decide. So the next step after reading about the projects currently on offer will be to contact and discuss matters with both your AAO and University supervisors before coming to a decision.

AAO PhD Scholarships

The Anglo-Australian Observatory has just introduced a scheme of top-up scholarships for students at Australian universities who are substantially co-supervised by an AAO staff member. These grants will be $5000 per annum for 3 years, with a possible further 6-month extension. More details (including an application form) are available here.

ASTRONOMERS & THE AAO

Staff at the AAO are actively involved in astronomical research and in the development of new instruments to carry out these research projects. Much of this research concentrates on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) or the UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST), though AAO astronomers also make frequent use of other national and international facilities, such as the Gemini Telescopes in Hawaii and Chile that Australia is a partner in. The AAO has a world-wide reputation in both optical and infrared imaging and spectroscopy. A particular strength of AAT and UKST research is large-scale surveys to identify hundreds of thousands of a certain class of objects; in particular, old stars, galaxies and quasars.

The AAO is engaged in several major ongoing surveys: the WiggleZ project is using the AAOmega instrument on AAT to determine the evolutionary properties of the mysterious Dark Energy, but measuring the clustering of several hundred thousand distant galaxies; GAMA (Galaxy And Mass Assembly) is studying galaxy structures by building a database of a quarter of a million galaxies; the Anglo-Australian Planet Search is surveying almost 300 nearby stars to search for extra-solar planets; and the RAVE survey is using the UK Schmidt Telescope to map the kinematics and chemical abundances of stars in our Galaxy. Two major surveys (now completed) that have had enormous scientific impact were the Two Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey, and the Two Degree Field QSO Redshift Survey. The first of these obtained redshifts (distances) for more than 220,000 galaxies out to a redshift of 0.3. The second survey measured redshifts for over 22,000 quasars, at redshifts up to 3. The 6dF Galaxy Survey has recently completed a mammoth survey of over 15000 nearby galaxies over the whole Southern sky. In addition to planets, old stars, galaxies and quasars, AAO astronomers have a wide range of other interests. These include brown dwarfs, supernovae, star formation, starburst and active galaxies, gravitational lensing and cosmology.

The AAO is also home to one of the world's most innovative and vibrant astronomical instrumentation groups - in recent years the AAO has been involved in the construction of instruments for both the AAT and UKST (IRIS2, AAOmega, 6dF) and other telescopes (OzPoz for the FLAMES instrument on the ESO VLT; Echidna/FMOS for Subaru; as well as work for Gemini and DAzLE for VLT). Research projects involving development of new and innovative instrumentation, followed by an observational component, often produce some of the most sought-after astronomy graduates.

What do we do?

We are often asked "What do we do?" Contrary to popular opinion, a typical astronomer will only use telescopes a few weeks a year. Getting time to use a telescope is highly competitive. At the last estimate, there are 13,000 astronomers world-wide although only about a third of these aggressively pursue access to telescopes. AAO astronomers do not restrict themselves to the AAT or UKST. We apply for time on radio and sub-millimetre telescopes, larger optical/infrared telescopes like Gemini and the VLT, and space-borne observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray observatory and so on.

Who are we?

The research interests of staff at the AAO are extensive. You can find a list of the AAO astronomers and PhD students on the AAO Science page. Additional descriptions of the research interests of several AAO staff can be found here, and some recent science highlights from the AAO can be found in the AAO Annual Report, as well as the AAO's Newsletter and Press Release pages.

HONOURS YEAR PROJECTS

Honours projects are smaller in scale than PhD projects, and aim to provide final year undergraduate students with a research project they can undertake at a level of ~50% of their time over the course of 1-2 semesters (usually starting in January/February, though some schools offer Honours years starting in July). Honours students will be expected to write a thesis for their University describing this work, and are often also able to write up results for publication in a refereed scientific journal.

AAO/Macquarie University $5000 Honours Scholarships

Two scholarships are available, worth $5,000 each, to students undertaking a one year program for an honours degree in science and technology (particularly in astronomical instrumentation) at the Anglo Australian Observatory. They will be awarded on the basis of academic merit and suitability in this area. They would particularly suit good students studying physics, opto-electronics, computing, astrophysics and/or mathematics. For application forms, etc. click HERE to go to the Scholarship page at Macquarie University.

Some potential honours projects are described HERE as well as being listed below. The nature of research is that some of these projects could be extended and grow into PhD projects. Similarly members of staff may have other projects waiting in the wings. Astronomy is a subject in which developments move rapidly - so the hot topics by the time an honours project starts could have changed. All projects are worked out by discussion between you and your prospective supervisor, so treat this list as a source of ideas and a starting point. If you're interested in subject areas not covered below, you are encouraged to contact relevant AAO astronomers directly. Students who are interested in projects in astronomical instrumentation should contact Sam Barden, the AAO's Head of Instrumentation, or Roger Haynes for Instrument Science group. Quentin Parker, the AAO/Macquarie Lecturer (qap -@- ics.mq.edu.au) also has a page with several more Honours Projects through Macquarie University. PhD students at the ANU undertake two 3 month research projects in their first year, prior to starting their main thesis project. AAO astronomers are able to jointly supervise such students in these projects, and some of the Honours projects below may be suitable for this.

  • Red Rectangle, small, HSTAJC cover

    Project: Sequence structure emission in the Red Rectangle bands

    Supervisors: Rob Sharp

    Working with the laser spectroscopy group at the University of Sydney, we have been attempting to identify the interstellar molecules, with a view to understanding the Diffuse Interstellar Bands.  The work involves comparing observations from interstellar space with the debris found in the vacuum chamber in the lab here on earth after we've shot the sample up a bit with a few lasers. We have a suite of IFS observations of the Red rectangle Nebula made with the ESO-VLT and the AAT-SPIRAL system.

    More projects with Rob Sharp are described here.

  • Project: Brightest Cluster Galaxies

    Supervisors: Heath Jones and Matthew Colless

    Galaxy Cluster

    Most of the brightest and largest galaxies in the universe are found dominating the centres of galaxy clusters. These massive objects, referred to as Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs), are typically large elliptical galaxies sitting at the very centre of the cluster potential. They often show signs of galaxy merging, such as double cores and extended halos, and are thought to have formed due to processes operating in these special, dense environments that are not found in more typical environments. The aim of this Honours project is to understand the properties of these objects, how they are formed, and why they are special. To this end, we have compiled a catalogue of the 1400 most luminous galaxies from the 6dF Galaxy Survey. This survey has mapped the positions and redshifts of over 120,000 galaxies in the nearby universe over nearly all the southern sky, and is one of the largest of its kind. The first step in the project is finding which of these luminous galaxies actually reside in clusters (or groups) and so fit the classical BCG definition. If environment plays a central role in their formation, then the existence of equally-massive galaxies {\em not} resident in clusters is all the more interesting. By comparing properties (such as mass, luminosity, colour, mass-to-light ratio and average surface brightness) for the cluster galaxies to those in a non-cluster control sample, we expect to uncover new insights into the formation and evolution of BCGs. This work could perhaps extend into modelling the formation of BCGs and carrying out follow-up observations of their stellar populations. This Honours project is suited to a student with interests in galaxy formation and optical observations. It will provide a good grounding in a broad range of skills and astronomical knowledge. Some background in statistics and computer modelling would be an asset. There is scope for publishing papers and travelling to conference to disseminate the results of this study.


  • HIPASS J0731-069

    Project: New light on a dark galaxy

    Supervisors: Dr Stuart Ryder and Dr Baerbel Koribalski (ATNF)

    The HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS) conducted in the late 1990s revealed surprisingly few "proto-galaxies", containing hydrogen gas but no stars. One of these, HIPASS J0731-69 (Ryder et al. 2001, ApJ, 555, 232) was found to be associated with the lopsided spiral galaxy NGC 2442. In an effort to understand how this object came to be, and why it has yet to form stars at the same rate as other galaxies, we have collected observational data including deep optical imaging, high-resolution atomic hydrogen maps, and measures of the molecular gas content. While analysing these data and writing up the results for their thesis and subsequent publication, the student will gain experience in both optical and radio astronomy techniques.


    • PhD PROJECTS

    PhD projects are programs which target significant new bodies of research over a ~3 year timescale. As an astronomy PhD student you will be involved in developing (with your supervisors) a program of research designed to attack some set of key questions. You will have to write observing proposals, take data, analyse it and prepare it for publication, as well as writing up your results in thesis form. The AAO can offer co-supervision of students in PhD projects together with a University-based supervisor at your home institution.

    The following are a few potential projects for PhD students. Astronomy is a subject in which developments move rapidly - so the hot topics by the time a project starts could have changed. All projects are worked out by discussion between you and your prospective supervisor, so treat this list as a source of ideas and a starting point. Members of staff may have other projects waiting in the wings. Students who are interested in subject areas not covered below are encouraged to contact relevant AAO astronomers directly. Students who are interested in projects in astronomical instrumentation should contact Sam Barden, the AAO's Head of Instrumentation.

    CONTACT US

    There are no hard and fast rules for establishing a joint supervision project - every case is unique. Your University, however, will have guidelines for when you must select a project, and for the approval of projects (and supervisors) by the University.

    The process for establishing a joint supervision project will usually go something like this

    In general the earlier you start making contact with supervisors before your research project would be due to actually start, the better. For example, getting the ball rolling and talking to prospective supervisors in the July-November period before an Honours project starts in February (though not essential) would be a good idea (though exact timing seems to vary from University to University, with students in some departments choosing projects as late as the first week of the academic year).

    PhD programs are generally organized somewhat earlier, with the Australian Postgraduate Award deadline of October 31 being a hard limit forcing students to at least choose what University they are going to do their degree at, which may also involve getting a feel for the kind of research they'd like to do. Once you are accepted for a PhD programme, if you are co-supervised by someone at the AAO you can then apply for one of the AAO top-up scholarships (worth $5000 per year for 3 years). The deadline for these is 1 March.

    Please feel free to contact us here at the AAO to discuss your interests, concerns or problems. You can either contact a prospective supervisor directly, or make contact through Andy Bunker (bunker -@- aao.gov.au), the AAO's Head of Astronomy.

    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


    Will I get paid?
    Most PhD studentships are funded through the Australian Research Coucil (ARC) or through scholarships from individual Universities. The Anglo-Australian Observatory has just introduced a scheme of top-up scholarships for students at Australian universities who are substantially co-supervised by an AAO staff member. These grants will be $5000 per annum for 3 years. More details (including an application form) are available here. For visiting undergraduate students, the AAO offers stipends through our AAO Student Fellowships and the Australian Gemini Undergraduate Summer Studentships. There are also Honours scholarships available to joint AAO/Macquarie students. Access to the AAO's computer facilities, and office space at the AAO's Epping offices are provided to PhD/Honours students jointly supervised by AAO staff.
    Will I get better access to AAT time?
    Observing time on the AAT is awarded purely on the basis of scientific merit in a process of peer review of proposals - so in short, no. Having said that, AAO staff are extremely successful in competing for and winning time on both the AAT and other telescopes, so you will receive the best possible assistance in preparing winning proposals.
    When should I start organising all this?
    The details of arranging a research project are given here.