Experimental Physics: Fully funded, 3.5-year PhD Studentship in Antihydrogen Physics with the ALPHA Experiment at CERN (RS922)

Funding provider: EPSRC

Subject area: Physics (experimental)

Project start dates: 1 October 2026, 1 January 2027 ** (Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates)

Supervisors: Professor Niels Madsen, Professor Stefan Eriksson

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Physics distance learning CERN 

Mode of study: Full-time

Please of study: CERN  

Project description:

This project aims to use laser-cooled beryllium ions to improve antihydrogen experiments in the ALPHA apparatus at CERN. The ALPHA collaboration is world-leading in studies of antihydrogen as a probe of matter and antimatter symmetry. Antihydrogen is made by merging cold antiprotons and positrons in a Penning-Malmberg trap. The antihydrogen atoms are trapped in a magnetic minimum trap where they can be exposed to both microwave and laser fields to probe their energy structure, or to carefully tailored magnetic fields to reveal their behaviour due to gravity. Laser-cooled beryllium ions trapped in the ALPHA apparatus have become crucial to antihydrogen physics. The ions are used to sympathetically cool positrons for antihydrogen production and thereby make colder antihydrogen, thus increasing the trapping rate and improving the statistics and capabilities of the experiment. We can also use cold beryllium ions as an absolute in-situ AC and DC magnetometer to increase our knowledge of the magnetic trapping fields and to probe the strength of the microwave fields used for inducing hyperfine transitions. The successful candidate will focus on one or more of the above aspects and take them to their full potential. This studentship is based at the ALPHA experiment at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. 

The ALPHA collaboration consists of around 60 researchers with around 20 permanently based at CERN, where the experiment is located. The student will join this international team of experts as part of the substantial Swansea team at CERN. 

Funding duration – 3.5 years 

UK and International students 

EPSRC DLA studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students. Once the limit has been reached, we are unable to make offers to international students. We are still accepting applications from international applicants.  International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rates. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements. 

Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance. Further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website.  

ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process. Successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with a scholarship course offer.

PhD: Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level or a master’s degree with a minimum overall grade at ‘Merit’ (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University). 

English Language 
IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.0) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.  

Note for international and European applicants: details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page. 

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £20,780 for 2025/26) plus an overseas allowance of £10,000 p.a. for 3.5 years. 

Additional research expenses of up to £1,000 per year will also be available. 

To apply, please complete the entire application form, following this link: Complete your application here in Learner Gateway

In order to be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required. 

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS922

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory) 

• In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input:  
  • the RS Code, RS922 and 
  • the scholarship title.   
• Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank 
• Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank 
• In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload?*’(Mandatory) please select Yes 
• Then upload copy of advert (you can save the advert by clicking print, and then print to PDF) 

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected. 

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award. 

If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case: 

1. Apply for the same course with the next available start date (e.g., select January if October is unavailable). 
2. Email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with your student number and the relevant scholarship RS code, requesting the start date be amended to match the advert. 
3. Admissions staff will then update your application accordingly. 

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards. 

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.    

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted. 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email): 

• CV 

• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient) 

• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project. 

• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference. 

• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable). 

• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable) 

• Confirmation of EDI form submission 

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact Niels Madsen - n.madsen@swansea.ac.uk, Stefan Eriksson - s.j.eriksson@swansea.ac.uk.

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co-funding of a scholarship project is applicable. 

** In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed.