Astronomy at Durham
Durham Astronomy Research Cluster
Durham University is one of the UK's leading centres for astronomical research with world-class groups working in a wide range of fields covering the observational, theoretical and instrumentation aspects of astronomy. The University is consistently ranked among the UK's top universities for Physics and Astronomy in the Complete University Guide subject league table.
5-year ICC Fellowship in Cosmology
The Institute for Computational Cosmology invites applications for the Robert and MeiLi Hefner Foundation Fellowship in Unbounded Cosmology, a five-year research fellowship starting in or around September 2027 (negotiable). We are looking for candidates with an outstanding personal research vision for the next five years in computational cosmology, interpreted broadly, and a track record showing it can credibly be delivered.
Applications close on 27 November 2026, with online interviews expected in late January 2027. Details & how to apply
See also our Join Us pages.
Career Development Fellowship
- The Royal Society runs a fellowship to support the career development of under-represented groups in STEM.
- Career Development Fellowship website
Note: Please check the website for current deadlines.
Durham astronomers are among the world's most highly cited researchers — Professors Carlos Frenk, Adrian Jenkins, Tom Theuns, the late Richard Bower and David Alexander all feature on Clarivate's Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list.
Join Our Research Community
There are over 30 academic staff across the combined astronomy groups, with over 70 postdocs, postgraduate students and support and technical staff involved in astronomy research. The Durham Astronomy Research Cluster hosts the following groups:
Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy
Visit WebsiteInstitute for Computational Cosmology
Visit WebsiteCentre for Advanced Instrumentation
Visit WebsiteIn November 2016, the astronomy groups moved into the brand new Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics building, designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind.