2027 MSc and PhD Research Opportunities in Astronomy
Several projects are available in our Department to be undertaken by students in 2027 at different levels.
NOTE: This list will updated over time, so please check it from time to time or contact any staff members to enquiry about projects on offer that might not be included in the following list.
MSc projects offered in 2027
| Dr Jacinta Delhaize | Cold Gas and black hole accretion in central galaxies: An HI Stacking Study with MeerKAT MIGHTEE |
| Assoc. Prof. Sarah Blyth) | Stacking HI emission from high-redshift galaxies |
| Dr Moses Mogotsi | Feedback in SUNBIRD Galaxy Interactions |
PhD projects offered in 2027
This list of projects also includes several projects eligible for SARAO scholarships. Please check with the prospective supervisor if the project of your choice qualifies for such support.
Moreover, a number of the MSc and PhD projects offered could be based or co-supervised with researchers at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), as a number of our academic staff have joint affiliations with SAAO. Please discuss this opportunity with your prospective supervisor if you are interested in this possibility. For a full list of projects offered at SAAO, but that could be based at UCT, please look under "Opportunities" on the SAAO website.
Application process
If you are interested in any of the projects listed above, please do the following:
- contact the academic staff member of the project you are interested in and send them a copy of your CV and recent transcripts;
- discuss the research with them to determine if you have the required qualifications, skills and abilities to undertake the project. You may contact as many potential supervisors as you like;
- if the academic staff member agrees to supervise you, discuss details about registration and funding.
Postgraduate funding
Most of the postgraduate research projects are funded by scholarships from the National Research Foundation (NRF) or the South African Radio Astronomical Observatory (SARAO).
If you require NRF or SARAO funding, you must ensure that you qualify for this support. To do so you can check the relevant documents reported here.
These are the primary mechanisms we have to provide you with a bursary, so you must read these documents carefully.
Completing the NRF application will take time. You must complete your discussions with your potential supervisor(s) well before the deadline to give you time to complete the application by the deadline.
Applications for NRF and SARAO bursaries need to be made through the NRF application portal.
To access the NRF application portal you will need to register using your ORCID. Instructions on how to obtain an ORCID are reported on the NRF portal or here.
Please note that applications submitted through the NRF portal without an agreement with the prospective supervisor will not be accepted. The supervisor will also need to endorse the application on the NRF Connect system. Therefore, when you submit on the NRF portal, please make sure to use the correct email address for your prospective supervisor in the form provided. This email address needs to be the one the supervisor uses to login to the NRF Connect system so that your application can be linked with the supervisor
Once you have submitted your application, you will need to send the ID of your application and a PDF copy of the submitted application to your prospective supervisor to complete the proccess.
Application deadline:
Please consult this UCT page for a comprehensive lists of deadlines for the various bursaries on offer.
No application will be accepted after the deadline.
Postgraduate Registration
Details of the registration process at UCT can be found on the Faculty of Science web page.