Current research degree projects
Explore our current postgraduate research degree and PhD opportunities.
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271 research degree projects
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Engineering
Enhancing sustainability and durability of concrete materials for marine environments
This PhD project aims to develop low-carbon, high-performance cementitious materials to combat marine corrosion and reduce global CO? emissions. Using advanced material characterisation techniques, this project explores microstructure evolution and long-term durability for sustainable ocean infrastructure.
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Engineering
Design, fabrication and characterisation of the next generation multi-material functional gradient scaffold for bone and cartilage regeneration
Scaffolds are important physical substrates for cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation, ultimately leading to the regeneration of tissues. This research aims to develop a novel multi-material functional gradient scaffold that mimics the natural bone and cartilage structure, promoting the regeneration of both, particularly the transition zone between the two.
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Engineering
Experimental and numerical assessment of composite structural joints for virtual certification
Composite materials are at the forefront of airframe technologies successfully providing reliable and high performance aerospace structures. A key barrier to greater deployment of next generation composites for new and novel vehicle concepts is the time and cost associated with certification of new designs.
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Photonics and optoelectronics
Spintronics with atomically thin semiconductors for quantum technologies
Quantum technologies promise efficient and secure information processing, but achieving coherence and entanglement at scale remains challenging. This project explores spin transport in industrially relevant atomically thin 2D semiconductors, focusing on developing optimised devices to enhance coherence, reduce power consumption, and enable ultra-fast operation for practical and sustainable quantum hardware.
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Engineering
Digital twin extrapolation in space object re-entry monitoring
This project aims to develop advanced digital twin technology for space object re-entry monitoring, addressing multiphysics coupling and hybrid uncertainties. The project focuses on uncertainty quantification, robust model updating, and real-time data integration to improve re-entry prediction accuracy.
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Engineering
Engineering micro-subs for micro-pollutants: biogeochemical sampling with micro-AUVs
Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are playing an increasing role in studying our oceans. While they can be equipped with a range of physical sensors, options for chemical monitoring are limited for smaller AUVs. This project looks to address this by developing new AUV systems for measuring ocean chemistry.
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Engineering
Engineering new handheld sediment profile imaging (SPI) systems to better understand the marine/terrestrial interface
This project aims to develop, fabricate, and test new technology for studying sediments that will enable scientists to gain new insights into our coastal environment.
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Chemistry
Unlocking higher energy batteries with quasi-solid materials
Reliable batteries, surpassing the energy storage capacity of the state of the art, are needed for critical applications such as communications systems for national security. This project aims to make them a reality by combining solid and liquid or gel materials to form quasi-solid materials with versatile chemistry and mechanical robustness.
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Photonics and optoelectronics
AI-driven circuit design for silicon photonics
The aim of this project is to explore new frontiers in the design of photonics integrated circuits (PICs) by using artificial intelligence (AI). The project has potential to revolutionise chip design and manufacturing processes by reduction of circuit footprint, optimisation of various elements and devices and their integration, and enabling more efficient packaging. It can play a crucial role in shaping the future of PICs and their implementation in various applications.
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Photonics and optoelectronics
Hollow-core optical fibre quantum light sources
Quantum technology often requires non-classical, quantum light. Hollow-core fibres, a highly interesting speciality optical fibre where light is guided in a gas filled core, offer a promising route to generate, transmit, and distribute this non-classical light, and this will be the focus of this project.