Dr. Rob Fender

Professor

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Biography

Rob Fender is a prominent astrophysicist at the University of Oxford, focusing on accretion processes and relativistic jets from black holes. His research primarily utilizes advanced radio telescopes such as AMI-LA, e-MERLIN, and MeerKAT to conduct targeted studies on the nature of radio transients. He has been instrumental in national collaborations, including the UK participation in the LOFAR project, and has received numerous accolades for his contributions to observational astrophysics, including the prestigious ERC Advanced Investigator Grant in 2011 and the Herschel Medal in 2020 from the Royal Astronomical Society. Fender led the MeerKAT team to notable achievements, earning the RAS Group Achievement Award in 2023. In addition to his substantial academic work, he has held visiting professor positions at several international institutions and is actively involved in the Einstein Telescope science collaboration. Fender's aim is to enhance our understanding of black holes across varying mass scales, especially through the development of the African Millimetre Telescope in Namibia, which is aimed at transforming the capabilities for observations of transients. He is deeply engaged in outreach and education, exemplified by his TEDx talk addressing the future of human exploration of black holes.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of Oxford

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.7
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:22
Reading
Required:24
Writing
Required:24
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:110
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Politics, International Relations, Economics, History, Law, Philosophy or Sociology
Application Checklist
  • Three academic references
  • Official transcripts
  • CV/Resume
  • Statement of Purpose (1,000 words)
  • Two academic essays (2,000 words each)
Specialization Notes

Department of Politics and International Relations - Higher Level English requirement.