Opportunities (PhD, EngD)

If you are interested in taking part in leading-edge research, we can offer unrivalled opportunities to qualified individuals in one of the most exciting interdisciplinary environments in UK engineering. Please view the web pages of our eight research groups to discover more about the research carried out within the school. Each group lists areas of research in which you would be welcome to work but you may suggest research topics of your own choice. For information on how to apply for a full or partial studentship please see our information on studentships.

Additional 4-year PhD studentships with projects in Complex Systems Simulation in Engineering are also offered by the Center of Doctoral Training within the Institute for Complex Systems Simulation.

Specific PhD/EngD projects offered by individual research groups (which may have matching funding) are listed below. Further vacancies will continue to be posted over the coming weeks, so please check out this page on a regular basis. A rolling deadline applies to all studentships and any application for an opportunity that has been recently filled will be considered for any other suitable vacancies within the School.

PhD/EngD Opportunities
Reference Project Research Group
SES–71–133 PhD Studentship: Flow control strategies for jet noise reduction  AFM
EngD-ANTC EngD: Minimising the Environmental Impact of Advanced Aircraft Designs  AFM
SES-71-130 PhD Studentship: High speed flow over rough surfaces  AFM
SES-71-131 PhD Studentship: Control of shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions  AFM
SES-71-122 PhD Studentship: Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics of Landing Gear Door  AFM
SES-71-125 PhD Studentship: Efficient Computational Aeroacoustic Modelling of Airframe Noise  AFM
SES-71-086 PhD Studentship: Turbulence Simulation  AFM
SES-76-077 PhD Studentship: Nano-metrology of precision surfaces EM
SES–79–136 EngD Studentship: Materials Failure Investigations with TWI  EngMats
SES–79–135 PhD Studentship: In vivo imaging of plant root hairs to understand and improve phosphate utilisation.  EngMats
SES-79-129 PhD Studentship: MEMS Development for Advanced Applications  EngMats
SES-79-113 PhD Studentship: Life assessment methods for industrial steam and gas turbine blade-to-disc interfaces  EngMats
SES-79-093 PhD Studentship: Microstructure and properties of novel superalloy disks for turbines  EngMats
SES–78–137 PhD Studentship: Direct borohydride fuel cells  ET
SES–78–134 PhD Studentship: Numerical Modelling of Multiphase Flows.  ET
SES-77-079 PhD Studentship: Investigations on power flow theory of nonlinear dynamical systems and applications FSI
SES-80-138 PhD Studentship: Wear Modelling and Validation of Vacuum Wear Coatings (DLC, CrN) – sponsored by Rolls Royce  nCATS
SES-80-127 PhD Studentship: Production of a NEMS sensor for the early detection of osteoarthritis in human joints  nCATS
SES-80-087 PhD Studentship: in Oil Condition Sensing sponsored by Shell Global Solutions (UK)  nCATS
SES-80-103 PhD Studentship: Mechanical properties and disruption of bacterial biofilms  nCATS
SES-80-060 PhD Studentships in the national Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton  nCATS

For a full description of each Studentship, please click on the link under the project column.

Key: Research Group
ASTRO: Astronautics
AFM: Aerodynamics & Flight Mechanics
BIO: Bioengineering
CED: Computational Engineering Design
EM: Electromechanical Engineering
EngMats: Engineering Materials & Surface Engineering
ET: Energy Technology (formerly TFSC: Thermal Fluids & Superconductivity)
FSI: Fluid Structure Interactions
MSHPCI: Microsoft Institute for High Performance Computing
nCATS: National Centre of Advanced Tribology at Southampton

The School is a diverse community which is committed to creating an inclusive working and learning environment in which all individuals are equally treated and valued, and can achieve their potential. The School considers all applications in relation to academic criteria and regardless of the individual's race, gender, or belief.

General Entry Requirements

Appropriately qualified applicants will usually hold a good honours degree, or its equivalent, in engineering, mathematics, materials science or other relevant physical sciences.

Applications for an academic place can be considered at any time of the year, but are rarely considered after the end of August for entry on 1st October that same academic year (the usual starting time for PhD programmes).

How to apply...