Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at University of Southampton | About the University Department | 176 PhD programmes in English

Student life at the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Take your place in a vibrant, inclusive research community where you’ll get all the support you need to thrive.

Welcome events, mentoring schemes, talks and regular informal coffee sessions will help you settle in and make connections, while the University’s Doctoral College brings the wider postgraduate research community together to share ideas and celebrate successes. Its activities include poster exhibitions and a Three Minute Thesis competition – won in 2025 by one of our second-year Electronics and Computer Science researchers, who went through to the UK semi-finals.

We are committed to fostering an environment where research excellence and inclusion go hand in hand, through initiatives such as the Race Equality Charter, Athena Swan recognition and Black Futures Scholarships. Postgraduate networks, including a parents’ and carers’ network and LGBTQ+ groups, create a space for people with shared interests or priorities. There are also comprehensive wellbeing, disability and inclusion services to provide any additional support you might need.

Depending on your field of research, you’ll likely be based at Highfield Campus, which blends a traditional academic setting with modern facilities, or the University’s newest campus at nearby Boldrewood. Both campuses are home to world-class research and testing facilities.

From either location, you’ll be able to enjoy all that Southampton has to offer. A friendly, walkable city with a mix of cultural venues, green spaces, coastal walks and a mild climate, it’s a great place for postgraduate life.

Subjects available at the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Acoustics

Acoustics Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

Analytical Chemistry

Applied Chemistry

Applied Mathematics

Applied Statistics

Architecture

Artificial Intelligence

Astrophysics

Atomic Engineering

Automotive Engineering

Biochemistry

Bioengineering

Biomedical Engineering

Biophysics

Biotechnology

Built Environment

Cancer Biology

Cell Biology

Chemical Engineering

Chemical Physics

Civil Engineering

Climate Science

Communications Engineering

Computational Chemistry

Computational Mathematics

Computational Physics

Computer Architectures

Computer Graphics

Computer Vision

Control Systems

Cyber Security

Cybernetics

Data Analysis

Data Science

Dynamics

Electrical Engineering

Electromagnetism

Electronic Engineering

Energy Technologies

Engineering Mathematics

Environmental Chemistry

Environmental Engineering

Environmental Physics

Experimental Physics

Fluid Mechanics

Gas Engineering

Geotechnical Engineering

Human Computer Interaction

Immunology

Industrial Chemistry

Inorganic Chemistry

Integrated Engineering

Internet Of Things

Machine Learning

Manufacturing Engineering

Marine Engineering

Marine Sciences

Mathematical Modelling

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanics

Mechatronics

Medical Physics

Medical Statistics

Meteorology

Microbiology

Nanotechnology

Networks

Neuroscience

Nuclear Physics

Offshore Engineering

Operational Research

Optical Physics

Organic Chemistry

Computer Science

Physics

Materials Science

Medicine

Engineering

Architecture, Building & Planning

Biological Sciences

Chemistry

Environmental Sciences

Mathematics

Geology

Nursing & Health

Psychology

Sociology

Particle Physics

Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Physical Chemistry

Pollution

Probability

Pure Mathematics

Quantum Computing

Quantum Mechanics

Robotics

Software Engineering

Soil Science

Solid Mechanics

Solid State Physics

Space Science

Statistics

Structural Biology

Structural Engineering

Structural Mechanics

Synthetic Chemistry

Systems Engineering

Theoretical Physics

Thermodynamics

Urban Planning

Zoology

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Frequently asked questions

When can I start my studies?

Our standard start dates are September, January, April, and June, with most postgraduate researchers starting in September. If you hold a student visa and are currently studying for an MSc in the UK, the September start date may not be available to you.

What other PhD funding opportunities are available?

Our ‘competition-funded’ projects are eligible to apply to other funding schemes. Some of these may cover the difference between overseas and UK tuition fees, and others will support your tuition fees and/or provide an annual stipend. Horizon Europe fee waivers are automatically applied for all eligible postgraduate researchers starting their programme in the 2026/27 academic year. The waiver covers the difference between overseas and UK tuition fees, and you can combine this waiver with other funding sources. Visit our website for a list of eligible countries. You may qualify for one of our postgraduate scholarships or fee waivers that cover tuition fees and more. Search for your topic area and check the ‘Funding and fees’ page for more information about our schools’ funding arrangements. Many of those projects are funded through the EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award.

How do I find a PhD supervisor?

Each project listing has an assigned supervisor; you’ll find their contact details in the listing. You are not limited to the listed projects – if you have a research idea of your own, you can search for a possible supervisor or make an enquiry.

What is a fully funded research project?

Projects advertised as ‘fully funded’ will cover your tuition fees and provide a tax-free annual stipend to support your living costs. UK Research and Innovation has set the minimum stipend at £20,780 (for full-time students).

These opportunities are highly competitive and often come with specific eligibility requirements, so it’s important to check the funding information for the project before applying.

What are the entry requirements for postgraduate researchers?

Our programmes typically require a minimum of an upper second-class (2:1) honours undergraduate degree (or equivalent), or a master’s-level qualification, in a relevant subject. Evidence of prior professional practice or learning may also be taken into account. Our funded programmes are highly competitive and normally require at least a first-class honours degree (or equivalent).

Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Why study at the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences?

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Student life at the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

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Frequently asked questions

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Main campus

2D Materials as Quantum Sensors

2D-Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanoelectronic Devices for Neuromorphic Computing

A Quantum Leap for Quantum Technology

Advanced beam shaping for next-generation fibre lasers

Advanced Lasers for Quantum Enhanced Microscopy

AI directed materials discovery and atomistic modelling

AI-based modelling of perforated surfaces in complex flows for noise control

AI-based virtual microphone technique for automotive applications

AI-Designed Metasurfaces for Quantum Light Manipulation

AI-driven silicon photonics circuits design

AI-generated content detection and localization

Algorithm development for molecular simulations on quantum computers

Anchoring our future - floating offshore wind turbine foundations

Antiresonant hollow core optical fibre precision coils

Artificial intelligence for environmental fluid dynamics modelling

Artificial intelligence techniques for illness detection by using MRI

Artificial Medical Intelligence for precision and preventive healthcare

Autonomous Close-Proximity Spacecraft Operations: Hardware-in-the-Loop Validation of Neuromorphic Event Cameras

Bio-inspired control of non-equilibrium turbulent boundary layers for efficient low-noise aerofoils

Bio‑Inspired Multi‑Modal Perception for Dynamic Adaptation in Robotic Formation Flight

Bioinspired Total Synthesis of Complex Natural Products

Biometric recognition systems with artificial intelligence techniques

Bismuth-doped fibre amplifiers for extended transmission bands in optical communications

Brain-inspired security primitive for secure hardware in space

Building the future of optical fibre communications

Cargo bikes as a vehicle for transport equity

Community Noise Prediction for eVTOL aircraft during flight phase transition

Computational nanorobotics with machine learning

Computational physics of high‑power fibre lasers: from nonlinear dynamics to next‑generation applications

Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution with 5G Technology Integration

Creating Explainable AI for Health with Confidence

Crowd sourced traffic control strategies

Data-driven iterative learning control: achieving model-free convergence for real-world systems

Design and synthesis of photoresponsive organic spin-state switches

Designing smart space structures for extreme environments: from nonlinear dynamics to resilient mechanisms

Detection of ionising radiation using optical hollow-core fibres

Developing cold plasma sterilisation system for lumened medical devises and complex space instruments

Developing high performance optical amplifiers for the future of space communications

Development of a miniaturised plug-and-play in-situ plasma measurement instrument for small satellites

Development of High-Performance Miniaturised Ultrasonic Devices for Precision Minimally Invasive Surgery

Development of large-area infrared metaoptics technologies

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

Driving simulation for assessment and rehabilitation

Dynamic Metasurfaces for Advanced Signal Processing

Efficient CFD-CAA coupling for aeroengine noise simulation

Electrically driven quantum light sources from two-dimensional materials

Embodied Quantum Information Flow for Collective Intelligence in Robotic Swarms

Energy-efficient multicore fibre amplifiers for future submarine networks

Engineering Coherence in Metamaterials and Metasurfaces

Engineering perfect superconducting qubits

Enhancing X-ray micro-CT scanners through hardware and software

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Quantum Technology Engineering

Event-based computing for real-time computer vision systems

Excitons in hybrid semiconductor quantum dots for tunable emitters

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

Fabricating Photonic Lanterns to Mitigate Scintillation in Satellite-borne Optical Communication Signals

Ferroelectric diodes with 2D semiconductors for future AI hardware

Fibre laser based mid infrared sources and their applications

Graphene-based silicon photonic photodetectors for mid-infrared wavelengths

High Resolution Sensing and Computing for Extreme Conditions

High-fidelity simulations of wind and dispersion over a city-scale urban area

High-performance ultrafast fibre lasers for biomedical applications