Thesis Topic IMPRS
We list on this page the topics offered by ESO Faculty astronomers to the students interested in the 2026 IMPRS on Astrophysics programme.
The deadline to apply for IMPRS PhD positions is November 1 every year for the program starting in September of the following year.
Please note that the number of applications is very large (over 500 each year). To ensure your application can be considered for one of the ESO projects, we kindly ask you to explicitly mention in your application your interest in one (or more) of the topics listed on this page.
If you prefer not to commit to a specific PhD project but are still interested in joining ESO, please remember to tick ESO as one of your preferred choices in the application form.
Please contact us for general information about doing your PhD at ESO within the IMPRS program.
The research activities at ESO focus on optical, infrared, and millimeter-wave astronomy, primarily using ground-based facilities at ESO observatories in Chile. In addition to optical and infrared imaging and spectroscopy, ESO astronomers are actively involved in developing and utilizing high-spatial resolution techniques such as adaptive optics and interferometry. Beyond these specific topics, the scientific expertise at ESO covers all major areas of astrophysics, including observational astronomy, modeling, and numerical simulations.
The research interests of ESO's science staff range from the Solar System to studies of the solar neighborhood (extrasolar planets, evolved stars, star formation), the interstellar medium, Galactic structure, galaxy evolution in the local Universe and at high redshift, the gas content of the Cosmic Web, and cosmology (galaxy clusters, Gamma-ray bursts, dark matter, lensing).
More details on science activities at ESO are available at ESO Science.
For detailed information related to the PhD projects offered at ESO, please do not hesitate to contact the Thesis Supervisor.
ESO Garching
Cosmology – high-redshift universe
| Thesis topic | Thesis supervisor |
|---|---|
| Resolving the physical conditions of the cold interstellar medium in high-z galaxies with strong gravitational lensing | Hannah Stacey |
Galaxy evolution/formation
| Thesis topic | Thesis supervisor |
|---|---|
| Chemical evolution of galaxies: a gas perspective to the role of massive stars for the chemical enrichment of galaxies across cosmic times | Annalisa De Cia |