We have launched a new fellowship to give a talented early-career researcher the freedom to explore the most ambitious ideas in astronomy and cosmology.
The Robert and MeiLi Hefner Foundation Fellowship in Unbounded Cosmology will see one researcher join our Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) for five years.
They will work alongside internationally renowned experts using computer technology to drive forward understanding of the Universe and our place in it.
The fellowship has been funded by a generous donation from the Robert and MeiLi Hefner Foundation.
The new post will be advertised internationally to early-career researchers later this year.
We know that the most transformative scientific work is undertaken by people with the freedom to think unboundedly about humanity’s deepest questions. We are therefore extremely excited to work with The Robert and MeiLi Hefner Foundation who share that vision and are supporting tomorrow’s talent.
The ICC and the broader Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027.
As we approach that milestone we are working to find innovative ways to support tomorrow’s academic leaders, including this new fellowship.
Since the Ogden Centre was established, we have made huge strides towards understanding the Universe in which we live. Yet, profound questions, like the root cause of its accelerating expansion, remain unanswered. I am hugely grateful to Robert and MeiLi Hefner for their contribution to furthering this understanding.
The Robert And MeiLi Hefner foundation is truly excited to establish the Unbounded Cosmology Fellowship with Durham at such an important time for unbounded thinking in the further understanding of cosmology and the infinity of the Universe.
About our Institute for Computational Cosmology and our Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics.
About the Robert and MeiLi Hefner Foundation.
Our Department of Physics is ranked joint 67th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 and fourth in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2027. Visit our Physics webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
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