Evolution of Energy in Solar Active Regions and the Production of Flares/CMEs (Ref: STFC26/SE/EPM/BLOOMFIELD)

About the Project

Solar flares are among the most energetic events in the solar system, affecting physical systems from the solar surface, past the inner planets, into near-Earth-space, and beyond into the wider solar system. Flares, along with coronal mass ejections (CMEs), are major contributors to space weather – changing conditions in near-Earth space, the magnetosphere and Earth’s upper atmosphere. Flares and CMEs mostly occur in active regions; volumes of the solar atmosphere that are defined and shaped by magnetic field which has emerged through the solar surface. Plasma flows move magnetic field around on the surface and, after sufficient energy accumulates and the conditions are suitable, active regions can release some of their stored energy as flares and CMEs. The free energy stored in the magnetic fields of active regions is known to be more than sufficient to power flares and CMEs, but the conditions and evolution required to initiate these events are unclear, limiting our ability to forecast them. The injection of energy into active regions is known to be due to i) the emergence of new magnetic field through the solar surface and ii) horizontal flows acting on previously emerged field to generate twisted and sheared magnetic structures. This project is aimed at determining a quantitative understanding of topics like the following:

• Where does injected energy go within active regions?
• What contributions do the two energy injection processes provide to overall active region energy budgets (i.e., intrinsic magnetic energy vs free magnetic energy)?
• What are their potential roles in the process of initiating flares and/or CMEs?

In this project you will use 3D vectormagnetic field observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory / Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (SDO/HMI) instrument to understand the evolution of active region magnetic fields and their associated energy. This will be carried out for a sample of active regions, covering those that are flare-quiet through to those with flaring activity of both high occurrence rate and large magnitude. You will seek to understand the physics leading to flares and/or CMEs, how and why flares/CMEs occur when and where they do, with the ultimate aim of improving our capacity to forecast flare/CME activity. You will have access to state-of-the-art analysis techniques and will apply these to observational data to develop a database of active region energies, their evolution, and their relation to flares and/or CMEs. As the project develops, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with national and international colleagues in the solar-physics and space-weather communities.

This project will suit students with an Astrophysics, Physics or Applied Mathematics degree. Prior experience with programming is desirable (e.g., Python or IDL), but training in all necessary skills will be provided. You will develop a wide array of skills including the communication of scientific ideas, writing journal articles, and reflective learning throughout your PhD. You will join a strong and diverse Solar and Space Physics research group in the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics, which supports a vibrant community of PhD students spanning multiple space physics disciplines, conducts high-impact research, plays a leading role in multiple solar and space physics instruments/missions, and provides a supportive and welcoming environment to carry out research. You will be supported to publish your work in leading peer-reviewed journals and will have opportunities to participate in public outreach, workshops, and present your results at national and international conferences.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Academic excellence i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities with preference for 1st class honours); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
• Applicants cannot apply if they are already a PhD holder or if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.
• Must be able to commit to campus-based full-time or part-time study.

To be classed as a Home student, candidates must:

• Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
• have settled status, or
• have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
• have indefinite leave to remain or enter.

If a candidate does not meet the criteria above, they would be classed as an International student amd be ineligible.

Applicants will need to be in the UK and fully enrolled before stipend payments can commence and be aware of the following additional costs that may be incurred, as these are not covered by the studentship.

For further details on how to apply see https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

In your application, please make sure to include the advert reference (e.g. STFC26/...).

Deadline for applications: 1st June 2026

Start date of course: 1st October 2026

Northumbria University is committed to creating an inclusive culture where we take pride in, and value, the diversity of our postgraduate research students. We encourage and welcome applications from all members of the community.

Academic Enquiries

*This project is supervised by* Dr Shaun Bloomfield. For informal academic queries, contact shaun.bloomfield@northumbria.ac.uk. For enquiries relating to eligibility or application process,* please use the email form below to contact Admissions.

*You will join a strong and supportive research team. The very best way to get a taste of this is to come and visit the Research Group in person, meet your fellow PhD students, and meet the PhD supervisors. We have funding to support all UK National applicants who wish to visit the research group (with funding to fully cover reasonable travel and accommodation costs). Please contact Head of Group Professor James McLaughlin at james.a.mclaughlin@northumbria.ac.uk if you are interested in visiting the Group, and we can arrange travel arrangement (and cover these costs). Also feel free to contact individual PhD supervisor if this is better for you.*

Funding Notes

This studentship is available to Home students and includes a full stipend at UKRI rates (for 2025/26 FT study this is £20,780 per year) and full tuition fees. Studentships are also available for Home applicants who wish to study part-time over 5 years (0.6 FTE, stipend £12,542 per year and full tuition fees) in combination with work or personal responsibilities).

References

Georgoulis, Bloomfield, +26 co-authors (2021) JSWSC, 11, 39 The flare likelihood and region eruption forecasting (FLARECAST) project: flare forecasting in the big data & machine learning era
Park, Guerra, Gallagher, Georgoulis, Bloomfield (2018) SolPhys, 293, 114 Photospheric Shear Flows in Solar Active Regions and Their Relation to Flare Occurrence
McCloskey, Gallagher, Bloomfield (2016) SolPhys, 291, 1711 Flaring Rates and the Evolution of Sunspot Group McIntosh Classifications
DeRosa, +12 co-authors, Régnier (2015) ApJ, 811, 107 The Influence of Spatial resolution on Nonlinear Force-free Modeling
Régnier (2013) SolPhys, 288, 481 Magnetic Field Extrapolations into the Corona: Success and Future Improvements