Planetary Sciences Group - Aberdeen

20/05/2025

🚀 Launch Your Career Beyond Earth! 🌌
Are you ready to be at the forefront of space exploration? Join the MSc Planetary Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, where cutting-edge research meets real-world missions. Learn from experts who are Co-Investigators on landmark Mars missions like the Curiosity rover and who have developed the HABIT instrument destined for Mars! Gain hands-on skills in remote sensing, spectroscopy, and instrument design—essential for deep-space exploration and high-growth industries here on Earth.

Have a look here : https://bit.ly/msc_psg

📈 Why Aberdeen?
- Interdisciplinary training in a department driving current and future Mars missions

- Staff Co-Is on Curiosity and lead developers of HABIT, the next-generation ISRU and Martian environmental sensor that will produce liquid water on Mars

- Collaboration opportunities with NASA, ESA, and private-sector pioneers

- Strong career prospects: the UK space sector is outpacing the wider economy by 5% year-on-year

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 (On Campus)
𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 12 months (full-time) or 24 months (part-time)
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: September 2025 or January 2026
𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Aberdeen, Scotland

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 (Online)
𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 24 months (part-time)
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: September 2025
𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Online

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬
𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬: Apply by 4 August 2025
𝐔𝐊 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬: Apply by 8 September 2025

🔗 Ready to explore new worlds? Apply today and propel your career into orbit!

17/09/2024

HABIT is back on campus !!

04/06/2024

The STFC has opened its call for the prestigious 2024 Rutherford 5-year Fellowships: https://ukri.org/opportunity/ernest-rutherford-fellowship-2024/. We welcome candidates who wish to apply to join the Department of Planetary Sciences at the University of Aberdeen. Our areas of focus are planetary science, astrobiology and space instrumentation. Please get in touch with [email protected] by July 1st if you are interested in applying.

02/04/2024

Our ONLINE MSc Planetary Sciences programme at the University of Aberdeen is now published! For more information:

Move into a space industry career, whatever your academic background. Join an online Masters in Planetary Sciences that's open to all disciplines.

06/03/2024

Miracle Israel Nazarious has represented the Department of Planetary Sciences at the Dynamic Earth Careers Showcase in Edinburgh!
He presented a model of the instrument HABIT (HAbitability: Brines, Irradiance and Temperature) and explained how it will produce water on Mars!

21/12/2023

An engineering prototype of the HABIT / Metabolt instruments was deployed at Sky Blu station in Antarctica in November 2023. This mission was undertaken in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Over two days on November 27 and 28, 2023, the BAS team successfully installed the HABIT (HabitAbility: Brines, Irradiation and Temperature) and Metabolt instruments, both developed by the Planetary Sciences team at the University of Aberdeen. The instruments will gather important data in the extreme environmental conditions of Antarctica, that will inform about the development of these instruments for potential future Mars mission. The soil samples were also collected that will be shipped back to Astrobiology Laboratory where they will be analysed further.

02/11/2023

Elon Musk has said he thought it was 'highly likely' humans would land on Mars within 10 years. Could he be right? 👇

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc8TGTXpFxE

24/10/2023

We are always open to welcome Commonwealth PhD students and Fellows. More information here:

Commonwealth Scholarships are UK university scholarships given to talented individuals with the potential to make a positive impact on the global stage.

31/07/2023

Interview with atmospheric scientist Prof Javier Martin-Torres & Thomas L Muinzer in The Sunday Post.

12/04/2023

Some of the Mars research currently at the group!

06/03/2023

The second round of the William Whitehorn Research Grants in Planetary Sciences is OPEN for applications now !
Five Students will be awarded a maintenance grant of £1000/month for the three-month duration of their summer research placement at the Department of Planetary Sciences.
The application deadline for the summer 2023 research programme will be 5pm BST, 4 May 2023.

For more info 👇

The Department of Planetary Sciences is delighted to receive applications for the second round of the William Whitehorn Research Grants in Planetary Sciences. The fund will enable third year undergraduate students of Physics, Engineering, Geology, Chemistry, and Biology at the University of Aberde...