We are part of the School of Engineering, Maths and Physics at the University of Kent, based on the Canterbury Campus in South East England, around one hour from central London by train.
Kent has a rich legacy in astrophysics and planetary science since the University opened in the 1960s. The group is currently led by Dr James Urquhart and operates three research portfolios; Astrophysics (with a focus on star formation and the structure of our galaxy; Professor Michael Smith, Dr Dirk Froebrich and Dr James Urquhart) Planetary Science (with a focus on comets & asteroids observational work and impact studies; Professors Mark Burchell, Dr Penny Wozniakiewicz and Dr Jon Tandy); and Astrochemisty and Origins of Life (Professor Nigel Mason).
The group operates in-house research facilities (the Kent Light Gas Gun and Beacon Observatory) and has access to a large range of sophisticated analysis tools (e.g. SEMs, NMR and Raman Spectrometer) and high-performance computing facilities. We also have an excellent track record of winning time of world-class telescope and led the Europlanet 2024 RI consortium, which consists of 53 beneficiary institutions from 21 countries in Europe and around the world, with a further 44 affiliated partners.
