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Award
Award
Duration
Duration
Start dates
Start dates
Application
Application
PhD (MPhil also available)
PhD (MPhil also available)
Full-time: 3–4 years
Part-time: 6–8 years
Full-time: 3–4 years
Part-time: 6–8 years
February and October
February and October
January to April
January to April
Whether life exists beyond Earth is aeons old, yet it is only relatively recently that space missions have been launched to help answer this. These missions undoubtedly provide benefits to society, with innovations and technologies that make our lives better, but they are not without challenges. Searching for life beyond Earth has specific scientific, governance and ethical dimensions that our research explores, including engaging with planetary protection principles, exploring who has the right to space and for what purpose, and identifying practices and conduct on Earth that underpins space research and ensures sustainability.
Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English.
UK fee
UK fee
International fee
International fee
Full-time: £5,238 per year
Full-time: £5,238 per year
Full-time: £13,289 per year
Full-time: £13,289 per year
Part-time: £2,619 per year
Part-time: £2,619 per year
Part-time: £6,645 per year
Part-time: £6,645 per year
Some of our research students are funded via the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership; others are self-funded.
For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.
To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.
An image to illustrate the Governance and ethics research topic
Get in touch
If you have an enquiry specific to this research topic, please contact:
Email: AstrobiologyOU
Apply now
Please review the application process if you’re interested in applying for this research topic.
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