Each year the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) recognises the best PhD theses in astronomy and geophysics completed in the UK.
Three prizes are available: the Michael Penston prize for astronomy, the Keith Runcorn prize for geophysics, and the Patricia Tomkins prize for instrumentation science in either astronomy or geophysics. The winners receive £1,000 and an invitation to present the results of their thesis at a meeting of the RAS and runners-up will receive £50 book tokens.
Nominees must have completed their Ph.D. (viva held and all corrections completed) at a UK university during 2025. For more details and to submit a nomination, please click on the links below:
- The Michael Penston prize, for theses in astronomy and astrophysics, including cosmology, astrobiology etc.
- The Keith Runcorn prize, for theses in geophysics, including seismology, solar physics, planetary science etc.
- The Patricia Tomkins thesis prize for theses in instrumentation science for astronomy and geophysics – while the support is aimed at developing skills in scientific hardware such as electronics, detectors, and optics, the development of novel software specific to a hardware project will also be considered. The Patricia Tomkins prize is sponsored by the Patricia Tomkins Foundation.
The deadline for nominations is Saturday, January 31, 2026.