隐藏怪兽：理解被遮蔽的黑洞增长新纪元博士研究员

View all current projects

Postgraduate research project

Hidden monsters: A new era for understanding obscured black hole growth

Funding

Competition funded

Competition funded

View fees and funding

Type of degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Entry requirements

2:1 honours degree

2:1 honours degree

View full entry requirements

Faculty graduate school

Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Closing date

6 Jan 2027

On this page

About the project

Potential supervisors

Entry requirements

Fees and funding

How to apply

Contact us

About the project

Potential supervisors

Entry requirements

Fees and funding

How to apply

Contact us

About the project

Our census of supermassive black hole growth is incomplete. Powerful black holes enshrouded in dust have been difficult to detect until now but appear to be numerous in the early Universe. This project will combine new imaging and spectroscopic survey data to further our understanding of obscured black hole growth across cosmic time.

Supermassive black holes are fundamental components of galaxies. Large surveys tracing ultraviolet and optical emission from accreting black holes, have shown that black holes are ubiquitous in massive galaxies. However, recent developments in infrared survey capability reveal that many of the most luminous accreting black holes are shrouded in dust, which dims their visible light so strongly that optical surveys can entirely miss the population.

This project builds on the rapidly emerging large statistical samples of a population of dust-obscured quasars known as Heavily Reddened Quasars (HRQs) discovered with SPHEREx. Exploiting our proprietary access to data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Euclid mission, and spectroscopic surveys with 4MOST you will build a coherent understanding of these obscured quasars for the first time and establish how they fit into our current understanding of galaxy and black hole formation.

Potential directions include:

• studying their variability signatures utilising time-domain data from Rubin LSST

• understanding their host galaxy properties exploiting high-angular resolution imaging from Euclid and Roman

• characterising their accretion and outflow properties using spectroscopic data from Euclid, 4MOST and VLT-MOONS

The project has enormous discovery potential as many of the telescopes and survey facilities named above are just starting operations, opening up entirely new regions of discovery space in astronomy. You will have the opportunity to work on the new survey data and join teams within large international collaborations in exploiting the latest statistical and machine-learning techniques to make the most of this data deluge. You will also be able to shape the direction of the project based on your own interests.

The School of Physics and Astronomy is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.

Potential supervisors

Lead supervisor

Professor Manda Banerji

Associate Dean (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion)

Research interests

• Galaxy formation and evolution

• Active galaxies and supermassive black holes

• Wide-field imaging and spectroscopic surveys

Entry requirements

You must have a UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.

Desirable skills:

• curiosity, motivation and drive to tackle long-term open questions in astrophysics

• strong research potential including a solid grounding in astrophysics and a willingness to learn new techniques

• research experience, for example through a final-year or summer research project

• experience with coding and analysis of large datasets

If you have a non-standard route into the subject, or relevant professional experience, we still want to hear from you. Please get in touch and explain how you would adapt your experience for astrophysics research.

Fees and funding

We offer a range of funding opportunities for both UK and international students. Horizon Europe fee waivers automatically cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for qualifying students.

Competition-based Presidential Bursaries from the University cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for top-ranked applicants.

Competition-based studentships offered by our schools typically cover UK-level tuition fees and a stipend for living costs for top-ranked applicants.

Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.

For more information, please visit our postgraduate research funding pages.

How to apply

Apply now

You need to:

• choose programme type (Research), 2027/28, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

• select Full time or Part time

• search for programme PhD Physics (7089)

• add name of the supervisor in section 2 of the application

Applications should include:

• your CV (resumé)

• 2 academic references

• degree transcripts and certificates to date

• English language qualification (if applicable)

Contact us

Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

For questions about applying, email our Doctoral College (doctoralcollege-admissions@soton.ac.uk).

Project leader

For an initial conversation, email Professor Manda Banerji (M.Banerji-Wright@soton.ac.uk).