PhD studies at IRF in Uppsala
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The Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, is integrated with the Uppsala University Department of Physics and Astronomy . The institute in Uppsala has extensive research programs in space physics, with ample opportunities for PhD research projects, and several professors and senior scientists to serve as graduate student advisors. There are also close links to other groups at the university, notably in astrophysics.
The Space Plasma Physics Research Programme carries out experimental research in space plasma physics using data from instruments on satellites, and in the future also on space probes. Data sets are now under study from NASA four-satellite MMS and Cassini missions and ESA Solar Orbiter and Rosetta mission.
Examples of current research topics
- Magnetic reconnection in the terrestrial magnetosphere.
- Plasma processes in the magnetosphere of Saturn and in the ionosphere of Titan.
- Particle acceleration and heating in space plasma.
- Development of state of the art satellite instrumentation and of software tools.
The programme also carries out experimental research in space physics, utilising data from ground-based instruments at high latitudes, in co-ordination with measurements on national and international satellites. Our main ground-based instruments are provided by the large-scale international research facility EISCAT (European Incoherent Scatter Association) with radar stations in Tromsö, Kiruna, Sodankylä and on Svalbard.
PhD courses
- Magnetic Reconnection (responsible Yuri Khotyaintsev), November 2026 – March 2026
- Plasma Turbulence (responsible Emiliya Yordanova), April 2026 – June 2026
- Waves in plasmas (responsible Daniel Graham), August 2026 – November 2026
- Space Plasma Measurements (responsible Anders Eriksson), Early 2027
- Ionosphere Physics (responsible Jan-Erik Wahlund), Fall 2027
Most of our work is carried out in wide international collaboration and we can offer PhD student supervision in a very international environment.