第一代超大质量黑洞增长研究博士研究员

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Postgraduate research project

How did the first supermassive black holes grow so fast?

Funding

Fully funded (UK and international)

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

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has found black holes that seem too massive, too early. How did they grow so fast? In this project you will build transparent, data-driven models that trace black hole growth from the first seeds, test light, heavy and primordial scenarios against JWST data, and set constraints on how the Universe’s first giants formed.

JWST is finding supermassive black holes within the first billion years of cosmic time, which already weigh millions to billions of suns, comparable to the masses of their host galaxies, and roughly ten times more common than we expected. How did they get so big and numerous so quickly?

This project tackles that question with semi-empirical models: transparent, data-driven numerical tools that connect observations directly to theory. You'll grow black holes along dark matter halo merger trees through gas accretion and mergers, with accretion rates drawn from Eddington-ratio distributions and duty cycles consistent with current data. You'll then start them from different seeds: light (about 100 solar masses, left by the first stars), heavy (10,000 to a million solar masses, from direct collapse) or primordial black holes. Using statistical approaches, you'll ask which seeds and accretion histories can reproduce the JWST active galaxies, including the “Little Red Dots”, and X-ray quasars.

Because every assumption is explicit and can be switched on or off, you'll transparently dissect the main supermassive black hole growth channels and set clear constraints on viable seeding mechanisms by comparing with a variety of data sets both in the local and the high-redshift Universe. If you have a creative and curious mind, this is the project for you.

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

FS

Professor Francesco Shankar

Professor of Astrophysics

Research interests

• Super-massive Black Hole Demography and Evolution

• Galaxy Evolution: Spheroids and Bulges, Environment, High-redshift galaxies

• Radio and Broad Absorption Line Active Galactic Nuclei

Supervisors

Dr Sandra De Jesus Raimundo

Associate Professor

Research interests

• Supermassive black holes;

• Active Galactic Nuclei;

• Galaxy evolution and dynamics;

Entry requirements

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent.

Desirable skills:

• strong motivation and desire to pursue a full-time research project in astronomy

• background in astrophysics or general physics

• some research and computing experience

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 Francesco Shankar (F.Shankar@soton.ac.uk).