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Loughborough University
Join us and become part of a university committed to making tangible improvements on a global scale.
Loughborough is an internationally renowned university located in the heart of the UK. Our outstanding research is generating globally important work which is driven by society’s need for solutions to real-life issues, making it not only cutting edge, but relevant too - ultimately, helping to improve the quality of people’s lives.
The results of the latest Research Exercise Framework, published in 2022, underline our dedication to bringing about change: 91% of our research was rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.
Life as a Loughborough research student
Our PhD students work alongside stand-out academics who at the forefront of their disciplines. We focus on an interdisciplinary approach to research, which is driven by society’s need to address real-world issues.
All PhD students are members of our Loughborough Doctoral College, which offers a vibrant and supportive research community. We seek to provide all students with a supportive and exciting environment by creating new working cultures, emphasising transferable skills, and forging lasting links with industry. You will benefit from our extensive doctoral training and development programme and a suite of activities designed to provide practical and pastoral support at every stage of the PhD process.
The Careers Network offers a specific service to PhD students, which allows greater focus on the skills researchers can offer employers. PhD students can also access entrepreneurial support via Loughborough Enterprise Network. In addition, Loughborough is home to one of the UK’s largest recruitment fairs, which is held on campus each year (submit to Covid restrictions).
Two stunning locations
Between them, our Loughborough and London campuses are home to more than 18,500 students from over 145 different countries.
Our superb 440-acre Loughborough campus is located in the heart of the country. Green spaces, world-class sports venues and excellent academic facilities combine to make our campus a safe, welcoming place with a real sense of community.
Based on Queen Elizabeth Park, our dedicated postgraduate campus in London is home to seven institutes and brings together influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators.

Follow your passion for research
We offer a number of funded and self-funded PhDs in the arts, design, engineering, health, humanities, mathematics, science, social sciences and sports disciplines. We are currently part of four Doctoral Training Partnerships and are home to 14 Centres for Doctoral Training.
Our recent achievements
- Consistently ranked as a UK top 10 university by the Complete University Guide 2016-23
- 91% of our research was rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (Research Exercise Framework 2021)
- University of the Year for Sport 2022 – The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022
- Awarded 7 Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Academic Excellence
- Ranked 5* for Innovation – QS Stars Rating System
- 1st in the UK for Employer-Student Connections – QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2021
- Best in the World for Sports-Related Subjects – QS World University Rankings 2021
Funding for PhD study
A research degree is a long-term commitment. For you to focus on your studies, it is important to ensure your funding is in place for the duration of your degree. We offer a range of funded and self-funded opportunities.
Find out more
Postgraduate Open Events
Join our virtual postgraduate open events to chat to staff and students, access course and professional services presentations and take a virtual campus tour.
Web chats
Join one of our regular web chats to chat to students and ask any general questions you have.

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Academic Units
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof G Page)AI-Based Acceleration of Computational Fluid Dynamics for Automotive Applications
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Martínez)Artificial Intelligence Engineering for Structural Design
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Daniel Butcher)CASE studentship (4-years): Rapid prototyping flows for system optimisation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Andrew Garmory)Computational prediction of Emissions from Aircraft Gas Turbine Combustion Systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Jun Yang)Formal and Robust Learning Control for Intelligent Electrification
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Lu Tian)Fundamentals of ammonia combustion towards a zero-carbon propulsion
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Eve Zhang)Intelligent Acoustic Emission System for Industrial Process Monitoring
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr C Liu)Intelligent Control for Autonomous Vehicles
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Chengyuan Liu)Intelligent Safety-Critical Control and the implementation in Autonomous Vehicles
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr C Liu)Long-term navigation for agriculture robots in changing environments
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(PhD Supervisor: Mrs Sharon Hayward-Fryer)PhD with Rolls-Royce in Future Propulsion and Power
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Jiang)Sensing enhancement for intelligent vehicles by AI technique
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Lu Tian)Sustainable production of solar hydrogen and carbon-neutral fuels via carbon-free flame synthesis
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Fly)Thermal management of electric vehicles with next generation battery technology
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr E Ratcliffe)3 Funded PhDs in Developing Inclusivity in Engineering (Inclusive Engineering Excellence Hub)
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Eileen Yu)Achieving circular economy: High-value products from wastewater generated from waste biomass and plastics with bioelectrochemical systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr E Ratcliffe)Artificial Intelligence for non-invasive mass spectrometry discrimination of critical threat antimicrobial-resistant chronic wound infection diagnosis
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr T Sun)Biodegradable polymer substrates with controllable sizes and morphologies for in situ additive tissue manufacturing
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr V Pinfield)Cleaning with Bubbles - Interfacial Properties of Bubbly Liquids
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr G Vladisavljevic)Composite Biodegradable Polymer Microcapsules with Tailored Properties for Microencapsulation and Controlled Release Applications
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr V Pinfield)Designing the best hydrogen production systems using modelling and machine learning
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr S Georgiadou)End of life chemically recyclable polymers
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Anna Trybala)Investigating alternatives to artificial/synthetic detergents and surfactants
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr G Vladisavljevic)Microfluidic synthesis of bifunctional phase change microcapsules for thermal energy storage and pollution abatement applications
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr G Vladisavljevic)Microfluidic synthesis of functional nanoparticles for ultrasensitive biochemical testing
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Zhiqiang Niu)Physics-informed Deep Learning for Multi-scale Design and Optimisation of Advanced Sodium-ion Battery
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr G Vladisavljevic)Smart Microcapsules for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Smith)Clean hydrogen production using well defined earth abundant metal-based catalysts
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr F Plasser)Computational Modelling of Organic Reaction Mechanisms
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr F Plasser)Computational Modelling of Photocatalysts
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Amanda Pearce)Fluorescent polymer sensors for bacteria detection : investigating ecosystem health in a changing climate
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr K Jolley)Modelling carbon using machine learning
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Paul Kelly)New approaches to challenges within forensic science
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Amanda Pearce)Proteomic and data science analysis of polymer-protein interactions
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Kimber)Synthesis of Lamellarin alkaloids using photoredox catalysis
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr S Butler)Synthesis of luminescent probes to detect phosphate pollution in water: investigating ecosystem health in a changing climate
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr S Christie)The House as a battery; printed concrete batteries for energy storage
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Salagean)Boolean functions for cryptography
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr G Cosma)Continual Learning in Neural Information Retrieval
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr S Saremi)Additive Manufacturing of Nanocomposites
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr H Willcock)Array based multi-analyte sensing: investigating ecosystem health in a changing climate
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Hongtao Zhang)Cold sintering of ferroelectric ceramics
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr S Saremi)Composite Electrocaloric Materials for Solid-State Cooling
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Y Tse)Low cost additive manufacturing of metal for biomedical applications
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr E Mele)Nanostructured biomaterials for sustainable and resilience agriculture
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof B Vaidhyanathan)Net Zero Manufacturing of Advanced Ceramics
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr I Martin-Fabiani)Optimising coatings formulations using artificial intelligence
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr H Willcock)Sensor encapsulation in nanostructured materials: investigating ecosystem health in a changing climate
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr H Willcock)Stimuli responsive polymer particles - design by combining modelling and experimental work
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Discacciati)Computational modelling at the interface between a fluid and a porous medium
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Lukas Schimmer)Eigenvalues of functional difference operators associated to mirror curves
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr W Bahsoun)Hyperbolic maps coupled by collision
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Simon Baker)Overlapping iterated function systems
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Juan Sebastian Totero-Gongora)Complexity-driven neuromorphic photonics in ultrafast nonlinear systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr I Rousochatzakis)Frustrated magnetism
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr N Banerjee)Interfacial spin orbit coupling based superconducting spintronic devices
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr I Rousochatzakis)Spectroscopic signatures of frustrated magnets
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Alexandre Christoyannopoulos)Pacifism and Nonviolence: Contributing to a Growing Research Agenda
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr C Foster)Designing classroom tasks to improve students’ learning of mathematics
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr C Foster)Designing professional development to improve the teaching of school mathematics
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr I Xenidou-Dervou)How do the languages that we speak affect numerical processing and math achievement?
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Krzysztof Cipora)On the prevalence of Spatial-Numerical Associations
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Julia Bahnmüller)What do young children know about multi-digit numbers?
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof R Buswell)Design and performance of high volume - low carbon printing materials for 3DCP and hybrid manufacturing processes
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Teresa Lombardo)Design of lattice metamaterials for vibration control
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Patricia Carrillo)Digital Twins to support community resilience
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof R Buswell)Durability and in-service performance of 3DCP structures to maximize component life
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Teresa Lombardo)Dynamics of heterogeneous structures for non-destructive testing: theoretical study and experimental validation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Teresa Lombardo)Enhanced finite element analysis of soil-structure dynamic interaction
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr F Palaiologou)Methods, toolkits, and assessment approaches for the collection, visualisation, and analysis of urban data for digital planning infrastructures
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr F Palaiologou)Methods, toolkits, and assessment approaches for the collection, visualisation, and analysis of urban data for digital planning infrastructures
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof R Buswell)New approaches for Design for Manufacture to enable disassembly of construction using 3D Concrete printing and hybrid manufacturing processes
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Long Chen)Ontology Digital Twinning for Knowledge Modelling and Fusion in Building Risk Assessment and Insurance
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J El-Rimawi)Parameters Affecting the Stiffness and Ductility of Reinforced Concrete joints under Cycling Loading
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Andre Jesus)Probability-based prediction of human structure interaction effects for vibration serviceability design
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof R Buswell)Process models and simulation for efficient manufacture and production scheduling: minimising carbon footprint and cost while maximising productivity
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Tanja Radu)Renewable energy generation from waste: adoption pathways, drivers, and obstacles for the uptake of biogas production technology in communities
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof R Buswell)Road mapping Life Cycle Assessment and approaches for circular manufacture using hybrid 3D Concrete printing
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Teresa Lombardo)Rubberised concrete: a sustainable material to enhance dynamic performance of concrete structures
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J El-Rimawi)The Use of Shape Memory Alloys to Enhance the Behaviour of Framed Concrete Structures
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Tom Jackson)Cultural challenges in the adoption of data-driven decision making
Research Profiles:
Research Profiles:
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Salagean)Boolean functions with optimal stability of their cryptographic indicators under restriction of their inputs
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Discacciati)Computational design and optimization of water purification systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr F Plasser)Computational design of functional molecular materials
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr S Christie)Design, Preparation and Characterisation of Energetic Materials
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Paul Kelly)Developing in-situ analysis methods for energetic materials, and assessing the latter’s interactions with environments and crime scenes
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr W Bahsoun)Ergodic properties of infinite dimensional dynamical systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Marco Peccianti)Modelling and validation of multi-dimensional terahertz nonlinear ghost imaging
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr K Jolley)Modelling long timescale effects of irradiation damage of nuclear graphite
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Juan Sebastian Totero-Gongora)Real-time control of high-power emissions in miniaturised ultrafast lasers (micro-combs) via machine-learning
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Marco Peccianti)Route to terahertz 4-dimensional microscopy
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr T Chen)Self-Adaptive Performance Assurance for AI Systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Lukas Schimmer)Spectral theory of relativistic quantum Hamiltonians
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Alessia Pasquazi)Temporal laser cavity solitons microcombs
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Simon Baker)Topics in Ergodic Theory and Fractal Geometry
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Pearce)Understanding polymer-protein interaction for nanoparticle drug delivery
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Oliver Hooper)Boys will be boys? Exploring boys’ embodied identities within physical education SSEHS/OH/RS
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Oliver Hooper)Co-constructing ‘Pedagogies for Voice’ within Physical Education
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr E Rousham)Drivers of malnutrition in women, infants and young children in Peru SSEHS/ER
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Rachel Sandford)Examining the potential of Physical Education for promoting Social and Emotional Learning
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Coates)Forest School for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in secondary schools
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Keith Tolfrey)Genetic mechanisms for postprandial metabolism across the lifespan
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Keith Tolfrey)Genetic mechanisms for postprandial metabolism across the lifespan SSEHS/KT
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr L Heaney)Gut microbiome-derived metabolites and their protective effect on metabolic health and immunity SSEHS/LH
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Hannah Fox Dugdale)Investigating skeletal muscle sex differences and the effects of gender transition SSEHS/HFD
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr O Markey)Investigating the effects of milk lipid bioactives in cardiometabolic and cognitive health SSEHS/OM/EO
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Roger Newport)Investigating the relationship between differences in sensory processing and paranormal experiences SSEHS/RN
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr K Brooke-Wavell)Modelling skeletal response to exercise SSEHS/KBW/SL
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Stuart McErlain-Naylor)Musculoskeletal loading from a minimal wearable sensor system during rehabilitation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Stirrup)Outsourced and exclusive? Examining young people’s experiences of outsourced physical education
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Stirrup)Physical Literacy, the early years, and the importance of the outdoor natural learning environment
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Mark Burnley)Physiological signatures of task failure during high-intensity exercise SSEHS/MB
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Lee Taylor)Practical real-world optimization of heat acclimation/acclimatization and/or cooling for elite sport training and competition
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Stuart McErlain-Naylor)Predicting musculoskeletal loading from video during rehabilitation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Coates)Reimagining physical education and school sport for inclusion
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr CA Leicht)Spinal cord injury and remote ischaemic conditioning: Improving physical capacity, health and wellbeing during inpatient rehabilitation SSEHS/CL
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Nik Dickerson)Sport and the remaking of ‘race’ during the Black Lives Matter Movement SSEHS/ND
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Stirrup)Teacher - pupil health and well-being and the role of schools in enhancing both
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J King)Testing the efficacy and mechanisms of the 'gravitostat' as a tool to support long-term weight loss in people with obesity SSEHS/JAK/2
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof VL Goosey-Tolfrey)What it takes to Win’ in Wheelchair Racing. Unpicking the determinants of performance and enabling data driven performance decision making by using existing and emerging technologies?
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Folland)Whey protein and milk derivates for enhancing muscle performance of middle-aged and older exercisers/athletes SSEHS/JF
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr R Blagrove)Working towards improved musculoskeletal rehabilitation outcomes following Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) syndrome in endurance athletes SSEHS/RB
The Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering is one of the biggest engineering schools of its kind in the UK. We aim to provide international leadership in research and innovation and an unrivalled educational experience.
Our graduates are testament to our success, helping to provide industry with the skills and knowledge to give them the competitive edge required to succeed in the 21st century.
In addition to holding two prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize we are home to two EPSRC National Centres, for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine and for Innovative Manufacturing in Intelligent Automation.
Our industrially focused research enables us to work with some of the world’s most renowned engineering companies and helps us to generate over £15 million in external research contracts each year.
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Roy)A bottom-up approach to muscle mechanics
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr R Maiti)A multiscale approach to model the biomechanical behaviour of human skin
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Szmelter)A multi-scale flows in geometrically very complex media
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr E Sabet)Additive manufacturing (3D printing) of tools for plastic injection moulding
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof W Whittow)Advanced antenna arrays for 5G and space
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Szmelter)Advanced CFD methods for porous media flows
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr F Iza)Advanced electron beam sources – 3D printing of metals
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof W Whittow)Advanced radiofrequency materials and dielectric property measurements for satellite antenna applications
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof A Stolzing)Aging of endothelial glycocalyx linings in interior blood vessels
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof S Rahimifard)Application of circular economy for additive manufacturing
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Mohammadpour)Application of graphene-based additives in environmentally friendly aqueous lubricants to enhance friction and wear performance
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr E Sabet)Artificial intelligence in additive manufacturing: use of deep-learning in dimensional accuracy of stereolithography 3D printing
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Thomson)Biomethane from integration of anaerobic digestion and green electrolytic hydrogen
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Flint)Biomimetic antennas
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Y Gong)Causal inference for resilient and robust cyber-security environments
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Roy)Cellular automaton to model rapid crystal growth and recrystallisation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr R Maiti)Computational modelling of cement-implant and cement-bone fracture in Unicondylar Knee Replacements (UKR)
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Roy)Deformation avalanches in small-scaled components and how to prevent them
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Sam Amiri)Design of a high-performance and flexible processor for modern HPC
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof W Malalasekera)Development of simulation technologies for hydrogen production with carbon capture
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr K Kyriakopoulos)Edge AI for safety-critical systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Roy)Electric field assisted machining
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Steph Forrester)Engineering of artificial turf sports surfaces
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Y Liu)From biomechanics of football heading to brain tissue biophysics
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Kim)Image-based lung modelling for the accurate assessment of functional impairments and behaviour heterogeneity in the lungs of athletes
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Roy)Improving blast and ballistic resistance in composites through design
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr EM Hubbard)Improving health in manufacturing
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Niels Lohse)Industrial Robots-as-a-Service: understanding social and economic implications
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Lewis Jones)Laser processing for nuclear decommissioning
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr K Kyriakopoulos)Machine learning solutions for computer network operations
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof S Lambotharan)Machine learning techniques for 6G wireless networks
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Y Gong)New signal processing in mobile communications based on machine learning techniques
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Roy)Next generation hybrid-hybrid machining of critical aerospace parts
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr J Flint)Novel metamaterials for wave control at GHz frequencies
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Roy)Predicting failure in crystalline materials using machine learning techniques
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Nicholas Morris)Prediction of rolling element bearing electrical erosion wear
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr C Ward)Re-configurable smart trains for adaptive railway timetabling
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof M Zecca)Robotic skin tester for systemic sclerosis
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Y Gong)Social-aware mobile system optimization based on machine learning
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr N Dolatabadi)Study of vibration isolators for electric vehicle powertrain systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Mr P King)Surfaces for high pressure hydrogen injectors
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr EB Woolley)Sustainable food production: efficient cleaning processes
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Ed Long)Thermofluid interactions for next generation emission control
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr H Fu)Transforming pipedreams into pipe-bots: intelligent self-powered sensors for wastewater systems and river protection
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr R Rahmani)Tribology of hydrogen fuelled engines
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Roy)Ultraprecision machining in silicon carbide