Join over 500 researchers working with industry and government to address some of the problems facing the world today.
Electronics and computer science (ECS) is the leading university department of its kind in the UK. We were on of the first universities to be named an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) by the UK government.
Our research is organised around research groups and centres. You'll join one of these groups. This means that specialist academics will always be on hand to hear your ideas and offer help and encouragement. With around 250 staff, ECS has unrivalled depth and breadth of expertise.
You'll have the freedom to run your own project and you'll be supported by a team of supervisors. Direct and regular contact with your supervisors will help you develop your scientific insight, and steer you towards creative and original thinking.
Our graduate school provides training on transferable skills, courses on research methodology, and a working framework to help you settle into a disciplined working routine. You'll also have opportunities to travel to international conferences and events to present your work.
ECS holds an annual careers fair that attracts major companies. The majority of our graduates take up roles in the technology industry or develop their research interests further. If you have a great idea our Future Worlds startup accelerator is there to nurture aspiring entrepreneurs through one-to-one support and its network of investors.
We offer 2 PhD routes.
This is our standard 3-year research degree. When you apply, you'll choose one of the following:
Our iPhD includes a taught first year. This is a good option if you're changing your field of study or have a background in industry. We offer these 4-year funded options through our Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT). Currently we offer the following research areas:
A key feature of ECS is that we are truly interdisciplinary. Many of our research groups sit at the interface between electronics and computer science, including cyber security and cyber physical systems. Areas include:
You can either apply for a structured studentship or propose your own PhD idea.
Structured studentships are advertised PhD projects with a title, supervisor, remit and funding already in place. These projects have been set up through collaborations with industry, external partners or they may have been provided through one of several centres for doctoral raining which we take part in.
Taking one of our structured studentships will give you access to additional training, conferences and secondments.
As AI-generated deepfakes pose significant threats to truth and authenticity, this PhD project stands at the forefront of technological innovation and ethical responsibility. Focusing specifically on detecting deepfakes crafted using advanced methods like DALL-E3, this project’s objective is to address the pressing need to safeguard digital integrity.
This PhD project aims to level up the current generative modelling techniques in computer vision. You'll address challenges related to language-vision integration and the transition from specialized task-oriented approaches to adaptable generalist models. Our research is aimed at unlocking the potential of generative models that combine expertise and versatility through language-vision integration.
As a researcher on this project you will contribute to the development of a radar-based system, named "Radar-Pointer." This will track hand movements in a way that is both non-intrusive and secure.
To understand the brain at the cellular level, we need large-scale neural interfacing. Developing more advanced prosthetic devices will facilitate the next generation of brain machine interfaces (BMIs).
We offer a wide range of fully funded studentships. We run several of our PhD studentships in partnership with doctoral training centres, meaning you'll benefit from enhanced training and guaranteed funding.
These studentships:
Doctoral training centres offer fully funded studentships which include:
We offer funded iPhD through our CDTs in:
We offer scholarships and teaching bursaries ourselves. Your potential supervisor can guide you on what is available.
If you’re an international student you may be able to apply for a scholarship from your country.
Find out more about scholarships
Once you've found a supervisor, they can help you with potential funding sources. We offer match funding in some cases.
You'll need to state how you intend to pay for your tuition fees when you submit your application.
Find out more about funding your PhD
You may be able to fund your postgraduate research with funding from your current employer or from industry.
You can borrow up to £26,445 for a PhD starting in 2022. Doctoral loans are not means tested and you can decide how much you want to borrow.
Find out about PhD loans on GOV.UK
You may be able to win funding from one or more charities to help fund your PhD.
We charge tuition fees for every year of study. If you’re applying for a fully funded project, your fees will be paid for you.
2022 to 2023 entry:
| Subject | UK fees | International fees |
|---|---|---|
| Computer science full time | £4,596 | £24,600 |
| Computer science part time | £2,298 | £12,300 |
| Electronics and electrical engineering full time | £4,596 | £24,600 |
| Electronics and electrical engineering part time | £2,298 | £12,300 |
| Machine intelligence for nano-electronic devices and systems full time | £4,596 | £24,600 |
2023 to 2024 entry:
| Subject | UK fees | International fees |
|---|---|---|
| Computer science full time | tbc | £25,500 |
| Computer science part time | tbc | £12,750 |
| Electronics and electrical engineering full time | tbc | £25,500 |
| Electronics and electrical engineering part time | tbc | £12,750 |
| Machine intelligence for nano-electronic devices and systems full time | tbc | £25,500 |
2024 to 2025 entry:
| Subject | UK fees | International fees |
|---|---|---|
| Computer science full time | tbc | £26,100 |
| Computer science part time | tbc | £13,050 |
| Electronics and electrical engineering full time | tbc | £26,100 |
| Electronics and electrical engineering part time | tbc | £13,050 |
| Machine intelligence for nano-electronic devices and systems full time | tbc | £26,100 |
You're eligible for a 10% alumni discount on a self-funded PhD if you're a current student or graduate from the University of Southampton.
Our research takes place in a multidisciplinary, collaborative environment, organised across globally important research groups and national research centres.
We offer 2 doctoral routes:
If you decide to apply for an iPhD make sure you refer to the individual requirements and application deadlines through the relevant CDT:
If you choose our standard research PhD, decide whether to apply to an advertised research project or create your own proposal.
Whichever programme you choose, you'll need to identify a potential supervisor. Therefore it's a good idea to email supervisors working within your field of interest to discuss PhD projects. It's best to do this well ahead of the application deadline.
You’ll find supervisors’ contact details listed with the advertised project, or you can search for supervisors in the staff directory.
As part of your online application, you’ll need to send us:
If you are applying for the MINDS iPhD you'll also need to write a 2000 word research outline.
The application process is the same whether you're applying for a funded project, or have created a research proposal.
You should have a 2:1 honours undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant discipline.
If English is not your first language, you'll need an IELTS minimum level of 6.5 with a 5.5 in writing, reading, speaking and listening.
If you are applying for the MINDS iPhD. you'll need an IELTS minimum level of 6.5 with a 6.0 in writing, reading, speaking and listening.
Your awarded certificate needs to be dated within the last 2 years.
If you need further English language tuition before starting your degree, you can apply for one of our pre-sessional English language courses.
Check the specific entry requirements listed on the project you’re interested in before you apply.
Research degrees have a minimum and maximum duration, known as the candidature. Your candidature ends when you submit your thesis.
Most candidatures are longer than the minimum period.
| Degree type | Full time | Part time |
| Computer science PhD | 2 to 4 years | 3 to 7 years |
| Electronics and electrical engineering PhD | 2 to 4 years | 3 to 7 years |
| Machine intelligence for nano-electronic devices and systems PhD | 2 to 4 years | Not available |
