Opportunity to take on the challenge to develop advanced remote sensing techniques and/or modeling techniques to measure the magnetic field of coronal mass ejections as they travel from the Sun through the heliosphere, working at the forefront of solar physics and space weather forecasting.
Project description The goal of this project is to advance remote sensing techniques to measure the speed and magnetic field properties of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) from the Sun. To achieve this, we will leverage radio observations from the Murchison Wide-field Array (MWA) data archive as well as the state-of-the-art Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder.
The MWA archive, the largest scientific archive in the Southern hemisphere, contains several Petabytes of radio wave observations of interplanetary space, waiting to be explored. Unlocking the full potential of this archive requires developing innovative remote sensing capabilities that can scale to handle large datasets.
More specifically, we plan to combine measurements from:
• Interplanetary Scintillation,
• Gyrosynchrotron radiation, and
• Faraday rotation measurements from distant radio sources.
By combining these data, we aim to improve models of CME behaviour as they travel from the Sun to the Earth leading to more precise forecasting of their arrival times and potential impact on Earth’s space environment.
The successful candidate will join the growing and dynamic Centre for Space Science and Technology at the University of Newcastle, under the mentorship and guidance of Dr. Hannah Schunker and Prof. David Pontin. The student will also work with Dr. John Morgan (at CSIRO) and have the opportunity to collaborate with leading international researchers at institutes such as NASA in the USA, and in India.
PhD Scholarship details Funding: $37,440 per annum (2025 rate) indexed annually. For a PhD candidate, the living allowance scholarship and Tuition fee scholarship is for 3.5 years. Scholarships also include up to $1,500 relocation allowance and Overseas Student Health Cover at single rate, for an international candidate.
Supervisor: Dr Hannah Schunker
Available to: Domestic and International students
PhD Eligibility Criteria We are looking for a motivated, demonstrably independent student with a 1st class Honours (or expected) degree or equivalent (e.g. Masters degree). The focus can be on modelling and/or observational data analysis, depending on the strengths of the student. Experience in coding would be an advantage. For further queries please contact [email protected]
The applicant will need to meet the minimum eligibility criteria for admission.
Application Procedure In the email expressing your interest, please send the documents (academic transcripts, CV, statement of research interests and the skills and knowledge you will bring to the project (you do *not* need to write your own research proposal), and the contact details of one academic reference) as ONE pdf file attachment with YOUR surname as the filename e.g. Schunker.pdf
Please send the email expressing interest to [email protected] as soon as possible.
The position is open until filled, and we will begin reviewing applications from 10 March 2025. Applications Close 31 July 2025.
Contact Dr Hannah Schunker
Phone +61 2 4055 3484
Email [email protected]