Students register in the first instance for the degree of MPhil unless otherwise approved by the Board of Graduate Studies. Subject to satisfactory progress, registration may be upgraded to the degree of PhD.
To satisfy the requirements of a PhD, the thesis must constitute a substantial original contribution to knowledge and is, in principle, worthy of peer-reviewed publications. The thesis shall be clearly and concisely written and well-argued and shall show a satisfactory knowledge of both primary and secondary sources. It shall contain a full bibliography and, where appropriate, a description of methods and techniques used in the research.
The maximum length of the thesis is 70,000 words for PhD in the Faculty of Science. These limits are exclusive of appendices, footnotes, tables and bibliography. The total length of all appendices combined may not exceed 5,000 words in length.
You must attend an oral examination (viva voce), which shall cover the thesis itself and the field of study in which the thesis has been written. The examiners may also require that you take a written and/or practical examination. You must complete the oral examination and written and/or practical examination satisfactorily to satisfy the requirements for the degree.
Our research
Areas for supervision
Overarching research themes
Our organisational structure connects our research with our study programmes to ensure quality research-led teaching.
We have four disciplines shaping our framework, they are:
- Civil and Environmental
- Electrical and Electronic
- Mechanical and Process
- Systems and Information
Discipline streams
Our Civil and Environmental researchers work on a broad range of issues underpinning civil engineering.
Combining modelling with practical experimentation, they tackle issues such as:
- Sustainable housing
- Dynamic loading of structures
- Earthquake destabilisation of land
- Pollution of waterways
Key specialisms include Ground Engineering, Structural Engineering and Water.
The Electrical and Electronic Engineering research group covers a range of Power, sustainability, and improved communications at the heart of our Electrical and Electronic stream.
Key areas of research include:
- Artificial olfaction (or 'electronic nose')
- Electrical energy conversion
- Grid-scale energy storage
- Nanoscale communications
- Quantum devices
Key specialisms include Communications, Electrical Power and Sensors and Devices.
Our Mechanical and Process Engineering research group are our largest and most diverse stream, their activities include:
- Fluid mechanics
- Fire and explosion hazards, chemical engineering
- Precision and surfaces
- 3D printing
- Thermal energy technology
Key specialisms include Fluids and Modelling, Measurement and Machines, Reaction and Materials Engineering, Sustainable Thermal Energy Technologies.
The Systems and Information research group bring together expertise in:
- Nonlinear and stochastic systems
- Modelling of human activity
- Neural engineering
- Telemedicine
- Imaging
- Synthetic biology
Much of the research undertaken is around health and security and the nature of the work means that many labs are cross-group. Key specialisms include Biomedical and Biological Systems, Information Engineering and Systems Modelling and Control.
