Current research degree projects
Explore our current postgraduate research degree and PhD opportunities.
Search PhD projects
243 research degree projects
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Photonics and optoelectronics
Advancing on-chip spectroscopic platforms for real-time bedside monitoring of antimicrobial drugs in critical care
Critically ill patients often receive antimicrobials with unpredictable pharmacokinetics, risking subtherapeutic or toxic levels. This project develops a miniaturized on-chip spectroscopic platform using mid-infrared and Raman techniques with AI analysis for real-time bedside Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, enabling precise, personalized dosing, improving safety, reducing resistance, and optimizing ICU care. -
Photonics and optoelectronics | Electronics and Computer Science | Chemistry and Chemical Engineering | Physics and astronomy
Detection of ionising radiation using optical hollow-core fibres
This project will explore the use of lasers and optical hollow-core fibres to detect ionising radiation, aiming to realise distributed radiation sensing along a single fibre. A novel detection capability of this kind may find applications in areas ranging from nuclear threat reduction to particle accelerators and future fusion reactors. -
Engineering | Mathematical sciences | Physics and astronomy
Integrating advanced source models for improved airport noise assessment
This PhD project focuses on improving aircraft noise prediction for emerging technologies at early design stages. It involves developing whole-aircraft noise models, incorporating operational factors and fleet-level scenarios. The research supports Rolls-Royce’s noise prediction systems and informs certification standards and airport noise policies. -
Photonics and optoelectronics
Intelligent Nanofabrication for Nanophotonics
Focused ion beam (FIB) milling is a key enabling technology in physical sciences research and industrial micro/nanotech manufacturing. This project will develop and apply deep learning techniques to accelerate and improve FIB nanofabrication processes for advanced photonic materials, in turn enhancing their optical performance and energy efficiency. -
Engineering
Resilient design of submerged infrastructure under complex hydrodynamic conditions
This project investigates hydrodynamic interactions between environmental flows, submerged infrastructure, and sediments to enhance the resilience of critical structures such as bridge piers and offshore energy foundations. Using large-scale laboratory experiments and advanced analysis, the research aims to inform sustainable, cost-effective and efficient design for complex environmental conditions. -
Electronics and Computer Science | Mathematical sciences
Game theory of Agentic AI
Agentic AI is rapidly affecting diverse aspects of our life, including social, technological and financial interactions. They may seem like human agents, yet their "thinking" and "reasoning" is not the same. The aim of this project is to study, understand and design the strategic interaction between LLM agents. -
Electronics and Computer Science
Data-driven iterative learning control: achieving model-free convergence for real-world systems
This PhD project aims to advance iterative learning control (ILC) by eliminating the dependency on analytical models, which are often costly or impractical to obtain. By leveraging data-driven control and optimization methods, this research will develop novel ILC algorithms that achieve high convergence performance directly from data. -
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering | Biological sciences
Development of a mammalian two-hybrid system for targeting membrane proteins
Despite their importance in driving disease, identifying compounds that bind and regulate membrane protein function can be extremely challenging. In this project, we will develop a high-throughput screening platform that utilises a mammalian two-hybrid system for the identification of modulators of membrane proteins. -
Engineering | Electronics and Computer Science | Mathematical sciences | Physics and astronomy
Computational nanorobotics with machine learning
The project develops intelligent nanorobots for autonomous control and adaptive behaviour in liquid nanoscale environments, exploring algorithms for simulation, control, and prediction with applications in drug delivery, diagnostics, and nano-manipulation. -
Electronics and Computer Science | Engineering | Mathematical sciences | Physics and astronomy
Improving acoustic security through the lens of mathematics and physics
Acoustic security is rapidly emerging at the intersection of cybersecurity, privacy, cyber physical systems, and acoustical physics. While machine learning has produced notable results, this project goes further—advancing both attacks and defenses through new mathematical approaches and deeper insights from acoustics.