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Current research degree projects

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Explore our current postgraduate research degree and PhD opportunities.

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346 research degree projects

Engineering | Mathematical sciences

Community Noise Prediction for eVTOL aircraft during flight phase transition

This PhD project investigates noise from eVTOL aircraft during transitional flight phases, aiming to improve prediction methods and assess perceived noise using virtual reality. It supports design-performance trade-offs, informs policy, and contributes to quieter, more acceptable urban air mobility systems through semi-empirical modelling and integration with whole-aircraft noise tools.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Photonics and optoelectronics

Development of Specialty Optical Fibres for High-power Eye-safe Fibre Lasers

This PhD project will focus on advancing the fabrication of active optical fibres, optimising their material properties, and developing specialised coatings to achieve excellent laser efficiency, good beam quality, and effective thermal management for high-power fibre lasers and amplifiers operating at the eye-safe wavelength of 1.55 micrometers (μm) .

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Photonics and optoelectronics | Physics and astronomy

Integrating hollow-core fibres with photonic integrated circuits

Are you excited by cutting-edge optics, photonics, and the chance to help develop revolutionary new technology? This PhD project explores how to combine two transformative technologies – Hollow-Core Fibres (HCFs) and Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) to build a revolutionary new photonics platform and unlock new possibilities in science and engineering.

Funding: Fully funded (UK only)

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Engineering

Experimental Measurement and Modelling of Turbulent Dispersed Multiphase Flows using Computer Vision and Machine Learning

This PhD tackles the challenge of understanding turbulent emulsions, which is crucial for developing cleaner, more efficient industrial processes. Using cutting-edge experiments, computer vision and machine learning, you’ll generate unique data to build predictive models of droplet dynamics, advancing both fundamental fluid mechanics and sustainable process engineering.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Ocean and earth science

Developing a Sustainable Framework for Monitoring Estuarine Water Levels

Flooding is the UK’s costliest natural disaster, particularly in estuaries where rivers meet the sea. Rising seas, storms, and heavy rainfall increase flood risks, threatening homes, infrastructure, and economies. Traditional monitoring is expensive and limited, this project combines satellites and AI to sustainably track water levels and reduce flood impacts.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2026
Engineering

Acoustics of future aircraft

This project will investigate novel signal processing and measurement techniques to extract key acoustic source information from test models in reverberant wind tunnel spaces. 

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 5 January 2026
Electronics and Computer Science

Nanostructured neural architectures for sustainable neuromorphic computing

Artificial intelligence is transforming society but comes with a growing energy and carbon cost. This project will explore new nanostructured materials and device architectures that can deliver brain-inspired computing with radically improved energy efficiency.

Funding: Fully funded (UK and international)

Closing date: 17 July 2026
Ocean and earth science

Developing understanding of flood hazard from bimodal wave overtopping

A 1m rise in mean sea level is almost certain this century (Committee on Climate Change, 2018), but seawalls cannot be built infinitely high. Understanding flooding from wave overtopping is crucial. The PhD will examine bimodal wave interactions that exacerbate overtopping for seasonal beach levels and different coastal protection structures.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2026
Ocean and earth science

Beyond the peak – towards improved understanding of flood signatures, their drivers and trends

This project will exploit a novel dataset that captures detailed information on flood signatures and rainfall characteristics, including duration, volume and rate-of-rise, from 1200 catchments, to identify trends in flood signatures, like duration, total volume and rate-of-rise, through non-stationary statistical methods, disentangling the separate effects of climate and land-use change.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 8 January 2026
Photonics and optoelectronics

Innovation framework for scaling semiconductor prototypes: focus on photonic integrated circuits in manufacturing

This project will investigate the UK’s semiconductor innovation ecosystem needed to support companies innovate using semiconductor manufacturing processes to accelerate the transition from prototypes to scale-up ready for high value manufacturing.

Funding: Fully funded (UK only)

Closing date: 31 December 2025