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PhD STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE
Our leading-edge research and close links with business, industry and the public sector makes us the University of choice for a growing number of doctoral researchers. Working side-by-side with world class researchers, our doctoral researchers are addressing local, societal and global challenges.
At Strathclyde, we aim to fully equip our doctoral researchers with the skills and knowledge needed to become future leaders through careers in research, academia, business, industry, government, and social sectors.
With access to first-rate facilities and an excellent research environment, our Strathclyde doctoral programmes include the following research opportunities:
STRATHCLYDE DOCTORAL SCHOOL
Students are also able to join the Strathclyde Doctoral School, a community of more than 1,800 doctoral researchers from over 80 countries. The School encompasses our four Faculties and is committed to enhancing the student experience, intensifying research outputs and opportunities and ensuring training is at the highest level.
TEN AWARDS IN NINE YEARS
Strathclyde is a multi-award-winning university. In 2019, we won University of the Year for the second time. As well as the University of the Year, we also won the Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year award for our Breaking Barriers initiative, a pioneering programme which gives young people with learning disabilities access to education and work experience opportunities.
RESEARCH AND DOCTORATE OPPORTUNITIES
Almost 90% of our research has been rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’ in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. With a Doctorate from Strathclyde you have many career opportunities ahead of you. Whether your interests are in industry, business, government, public or social sectors, your research and the training and development you will have received together with the network of Strathclyde researchers, friends and contacts you will have developed, mean that a bright future awaits you.
We offer a number of funded and unfunded PhD and postgraduate research opportunities.
CONTACT US
For more information or for advice about our courses and entry requirements please contact the Recruitment & International Office:
+44 (0) 141 548 2913
pgenquiries@strath.ac.uk
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Academic Units
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Bin Liu)Added value of business intelligence for machinery upgrades and modernisation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr D Comerford)Climate change and globalisation: how important is economic integration in the fight against climate change?
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Markus Gehrsitz)Economics of Education
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Livia Pancotto)ESG-tied executive compensation and banks’ sustainable lending strategies
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Natalie McDougall)Frugal innovation for Sustainable & Resilient Energy Resource Optimisation: Mitigating the Energy Crisis
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Kerem Akartunali)Resilient Supply Chains in Disaster Management
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Graeme Acheson)Shareholder investment horizons in early capital markets
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr James Bowden)Transparent Textual-Audio Analysis via eXplainable AI (XAI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) for improved ESG and Impact Measurement
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr C McCormick)Advanced Manufacturing for Cardiac Valves
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Melanie Jimenez)Point-of-care systems for rapid urinary tract infection diagnosis using microfluidics
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Haw)Active sticky particles
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Jorge)Adsorption of water-containing mixtures in Metal-Organic Framework materials
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Xiaolei Zhang)Atomic/Molecular insights into the formation of valuable products from waste biomass
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Jun Li)Catalytic reforming of syngas hydrocarbons to maximise hydrogen production
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr E Brightman)Characterising defects in hydrogen fuel cell and electrolyser components for volume manufacturing
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Tosin Somorin)Cleaner Waste Systems through Simultaneous CO2 Capture and Utilisation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Javier Cardona)Data-driven approaches for in-line monitoring of particle attributes in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr K Johnston)Designing surfaces to control nucleation in pharmaceutical crystallisation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Y Chen)Development of a spatially resolved spectroscopy probe for application in pharmaceutical drying processes
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Y Chen)Development of spatially resolved spectroscopy for in-situ, real-time monitoring of pharmaceutical isolation process
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr D Kivotides)Direct numerical simulation of polymeric-fluid flows
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Chris Price)Enhancing sustainability in crystallization and isolation by recovery of pharmaceuticals from crystallization mother liquors
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr D Kivotides)Finite temperature superfluid turbulence flow-structure interactions via immersed boundary methods
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr P Grassia)Foam Hadron Collider
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr P Grassia)Foam improved oil recovery
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Haw)How do we decarbonize everything?
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr L Lue)Intelligent decision system for development of efficient pharmaceutical separation processes
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Iain Burns)Laser Imaging of Potassium in Biomass Thermal Processing
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Dragos Neagu)Membranes for carbon dioxide conversion for environmental and space exploration applications
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr L Lue)Modelling the effect of the electric double layer on electron transfer kinetics
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr K Johnston)Modelling the formation and recycling of plastic composites
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Javier Cardona)Multimodal remote sensing and Machine Learning for Precision Agriculture
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Stephen Lyth)Nanocellulose as a sustainable electrolyte for electrochemical energy conversion
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Vassilis Inglezakis)Nanocomposites hyper-activity in heterogeneous non-catalytic and catalytic reactions
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Dragos Neagu)Nano-engineering of materials for energy conversion and storage applications
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Ashleigh Fletcher)New methods for removal of pollutants from water
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Ashleigh Fletcher)New methods of carbon capture using green materials
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr P Mulheran)Optimising the washing and drying of filter cakes: modelling and applications
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr M Jorge)Predicting drug solubility in different solvents using molecular simulation and machine learning
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr P Mulheran)Protein adsorption in gel structures: simulation, experiment and application
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Chris Price)Solvent reuse to support sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Stephen Lyth)Sustainable carbon nanomaterials for electrochemical energy conversion in hydrogen fuel cells
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Xiaolei Zhang)System design on co-production of transport fuel and value-added chemicals from waste biomass
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Tosin Somorin)Thermal Energy Storage for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof J Sefcik)Understanding and scale up of secondary nucleation in pharmaceutical crystallisation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Jun Li)Valorisation of wet biomass waste with carbon dioxide for sustainable fuel production
Located in the centre of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde is the 2012/13 Times Higher Education University of the Year and the 2013/14 Times Higher Entrepreneurial University of the Year. Research in the department of Civil & Environmental Engineering is highly interdisciplinary and combines the expertise of civil and environmental engineers, with geoscientists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians, and social scientists. Our world-class research portfolio includes leadership of international and multi-institutional research consortia in close collaboration with industry and government.
We have a vibrant postgraduate research community, with currently around 70 research students. We offer research training in a diverse, international setting and all of our PhD students have the support of two supervisors to guide them through their research. Students have the opportunity to attend specialist classes and training courses from across the University, as well as the Department’s weekly research seminar series. In addition, all of our PhD students work towards the University of Strathclyde’s Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Researcher Development. This innovative PGCert ensures students receive credited training in complementary skills such as presentation, external engagement, writing and project-specific skills.
In 2022 the Department was awarded the Athena SWAN gold award, in recognition of our “commitment to advancing women’s careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine.”
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Hamilton)Advanced characterisation of hydroceramics – Improving the safety case for deep geological disposal of radioactive waste
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof E Patelli)AI approaches and automatic uncertainty for robust, reliable, and trustful digital twin: application to sustainable critical infrastructure and systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr R Lord)Linking phytoremediation to energy crops for sustainable bioenergy and land restoration
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr E Tubaldi)Monitoring-based framework for enhanced resilience of critical structures
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Marco De Angelis)Verifiable and efficient simulation for structural-health digital twins
The Department of Computer and Information Sciences is part of the faculty of Science at the University of Strathclyde. With 30 academic staff, 11 support staff and about 50 researchers, it is one of the smaller departments in the faculty. Its size allows for a friendly and supportive atmosphere with a strong sense of community.
The Department provides a rich and stimulating research environment, with research groups in Automated Planning (a sub-area of Artificial Intelligence), Mathematically Structured Programming, Software Systems, Information Retrieval and Global Dataflow Systems. It has strong cross-disciplinary links throughout the university and also across Scotland, participating in the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA). It also enjoys a number of research collaborations with other institutions world-wide.
The University of Strathclyde is a vibrant and dynamic university in the heart of Glasgow, one of the largest cities in the UK. The university has a very strong reputation in Engineering and the Sciences and prides itself on its relationship with the wider community, and the range of its industrial and business links.
The Department supports a lively community of PhD students, postdoctoral research fellows and frequent international visitors. There is a regular and varied seminar programme as well as weekly meetings of research groups. The university encourages cross-disciplinary research and there are many opportunities for research engagements with other departments, both within and beyond the Science faculty.
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Assoc Prof M Halvey)Building Trustworthy Conversational Search Agents
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Wendy Moncur)Maintaining online identity after a cognitive impairment: Experiences, challenges and solutions
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Daniel Thomas)Measuring security and cybercrime ethically
The Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering is the largest in the University with 46 academic staff, over 600 undergraduate students and over 200 postgraduate students. As well as being the largest department in Strathclyde, we are also the largest Electronic & Electrical Engineering Department in Scotland. The Department is part of the University's Faculty of Engineering, one of the University's five teaching faculties.
Electronic & Electrical Engineering at Strathclyde is taught by Scotland's largest Department, established for over a century, rated Excellent in teaching quality terms by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and with a highly regarded 5 in the latest Research Assessment Exercise conducted across the UK by the national universities governing body.
The Department's size and diversity is unique - the research covers everything in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from control to optoelectronics, to power engineering, to signal processing, instrumentation and communications. The High Voltage Technologies Research Group researches all aspects of HV engineering and Pulsed Power Technologies.
This teaching and research presence assures undergraduates of an effective up-to-date and enthusiastic education. The research activities are vitally important in teaching undergraduates: many staff members are internationally recognised authorities on their subject and their laboratories are often made available for undergraduate use, especially for project work. The Department's international connections in Europe, the USA and throughout the world offer unique opportunities for studying and vacation work abroad.
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Iman Tavakkolnia)Advanced energy-efficient optical communication technology
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Carmine Clemente)Advanced Imaging algorithms for distributed spaceborne SAR
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Christos Ilioudis)Applications of 5G based Passive Sensing
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Graeme West)Cognitive intelligence to support explainable, automated industrial decision support
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Christos Ilioudis)Cognitive Jamming Waveform Optimisation with Application of AI
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Gordon Dobie)EngD - Cokebusters/FIND CDT - Next Generation Smartpigs
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Ehsan Mohseni)EngD in Machine Learning for reliable automated inspection of aerospace composites (with an enhanced stipend)
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr G Di Caterina)EPSRC ICASE with Leonardo UK: Spiking Neural Network Processing for Infra-red Event Driven Cameras
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Randika Vithanage)Hybrid Robotics for Future Reconfigurable Manufacturing
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Charles Macleod)Improving Ultrasonic Imaging using Machine Learning (Enhanced Stipend - Rolls Royce EngD)
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Charles Macleod)In-Process Inspection of Nuclear Components (Enhanced Yearly Stipend)
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Safak Bayram)Optimal Planning and Operation of Social and Responsible V2G hubs at Motor-Retail Sites for a Net-Zero Power Grid
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Ehsan Mohseni)PhD in Automated Eddy Currents Inspection of Dry Carbon Fibre/Fabric for Composite Manufacturing and Recycling
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof S.G. Pierce)PhD in Robotics for Aerospace Inspection
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Charles Macleod)Revolutionizing Robotic Metal Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Charles Macleod)Revolutionizing Traditional Manufacturing: Sensor Enabled Robotic Welding (Enhanced Yearly Stipend)
Research Profiles:
Mechanical Engineering at Strathclyde is one of the largest departments of its type in the UK, with around 500 undergraduate and 80 postgraduate students. It has around 100 academic, research, administrative and technical staff. It is by far the largest of its type in Scotland.
It has the highest independently assessed standing in its discipline in Scotland for both teaching and research. The staff complement covers a wide range of expertise and this is reflected in the research profile and in the portfolio of specialist MEng courses.
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Ross Minty)An investigation of the Fibre-Matrix Interface of Laser Processed Composite Materials
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Ross Minty)Investigation of the Fibre-matrix Interface for Glass Fibre & Carbon Fibre Composites Exposed to LH2 Cryogenic Loading and Fatigue Conditions.
The Department is strong in both research and teaching. We have about 300 undergraduate students, while our annual research turnover is about £7M. This makes us one of the bigger physics departments in Scotland, and one of the biggest research departments at Strathclyde. This is rather appropriate, since John Anderson, founder of the institute that became Strathclyde, was a physicist. He was also a champion of "useful learning", and our present-day department follows that tradition in offering a number of applications- and career-oriented degrees. Our research, similarly, deals mainly with “useful physics” of photons, electrons, atoms, molecules and their composites. It yields insights into fundamental physical phenomena while also seeding interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial activity. Its fruits include successful spin-out companies as well as collaborative research units and institutes.
The Department is a member of the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA). This is one of the largest academic research organisations in Europe. A major component of this is the SUPA Graduate School, dedicated to enhancing the training of postgraduate physics training. All postgraduate students are automatically members of this body.
Research students are vital to the Department. We have over 100 PhD students and are looking to increase that number. Students undergo a structured training programme involving SUPA and the Strathclyde Doctoral School which develops advanced technical skills and transferrable skills.
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr A Arnold)PhD position on SI-traceable atomic thermometry - available now at Strathclyde
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Fabien Massabuau)Photoconduction of wide bandgap semiconductor materials and devices
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Alessandro Rossi)Quantum electronics based on hybrid super/semi-conductor devices
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr D Oi)Space Quantum Communication
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Glenn Burley)A Chemical Biological Platform to Interrogate the Mechanisms of Anti-Cancer Activity of Splice-Switching Small Molecules
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr David Lindsay)Computationally-Guided Catalytic Methods for C-C Bond Formation
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Reiner Sprick)Conjugated polymer photocatalysts for carbon dioxide reduction
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Juliane Simmchen)Creating artificial active colloids for environmental and biomedical applications
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Binoy Paulose)Design and development of dielectrophoretic point-of-care devices for amplification free detection of disease biomarkers
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Shiao Chow)Developing Bioorthogonal Catalysts for Cancer Biomarker Detection
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Glenn Burley)Developing Bio-orthogonal Ynamine Reagents for the Preparation of Next-Generation Antibody-Drug Conjugates
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Fraser Scott)Developing new treatments for leishmaniasis
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Rebecca Beveridge)Development of mass spectrometry methods to investigate conformations and complexes of proteins relating to health and disease
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Craig Jamieson)Development of Novel Bioconjugation Approaches
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr John Andrew Parkinson)Molecular Design for Drug Discovery
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof William Kerr)New Methods to Access Enantioenriched Heterobicyclic Scaffolds
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Clare Hoskins)Second generation nano-carriers for pancreatic cancer therapy
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Karen Faulds)Through Tissue Imaging using Surface Enhanced Spatially Offset Raman Scattering (SESORS)
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Fraser Scott)Towards the development of a novel class of broad-spectrum anti-infective drugs
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof William Kerr)Tuned Iridium Catalysts to Deliver an Array of Synthetic Efficiency and Selectivity
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr David Nelson)Understanding Nickel (Pre-)Catalyst Activation, Speciation and Inhibition
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr David Nelson)Understanding the activation and speciation of the active species in nickel catalysis
Strathclyde's Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences enjoys an excellent reputation across a wide range of disciplines. Our research and teaching generate new ideas, knowledge and skills, with the aim of increasing our understanding of the world. We strive to make a significant contribution to the economy, society and culture of Scotland and beyond.
Research Profiles:
The Institute of Photonics is a commercially oriented research unit, established in 1995, as part of the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. The Institute's key objective is to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial application and development in the area of photonics, through excellence in commercially relevant research and its exploitation. Our research agenda is influenced both by latest developments in academic research and by industry requirements. We are equally at home working with industrial or academic partners. The research environment at the Institute mixes the purely academic with the real world requirements of industry. Our research teams combine to create a unique blend of semiconductor, laser and applications experts.
Underpinning our approach is our belief that successful and effective technology transfer, in its broadest sense, is best supported by providing an environment, facilities and expertise where these wide ranging activities, from strategic research to supporting spin-out companies, can flourish. Activities undertaken are necessarily varied, but have a common theme in that they all sit somewhere in the continuum between pure academic research and full commercial application or exploitation of research.
Our research interests span a broad range of photonic source development - semiconductor materials & devices, all-solid-state lasers - and applications - in biophotonics, in optical communications, in imaging, in materials processing, and a host of other areas.
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Martin Dawson)Advanced optical wireless communications based on deep-ultraviolet micro-LEDs
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Michael Strain)High-speed, spatially multiplexed single photon emitter arrays
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Michael Strain)Large-scale photonic-electronic integration for next generation neuromorphic computing systems
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Antonio Hurtado)Neuromorphic Photonic Spiking Processing Systems for Light-Enabled AI
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Lewis MacKenzie)Development of upconversion nanoparticles for biosensing applications (self funded PhD opportunity)
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Ying Fu)Highly sensitive biosensors for biomarker detection
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Gavin Craig)Sustainable routes to porous metal-organic materials
The Institute carries out research across a range of research disciplines including Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Pharmacology, Exercise Science, Applied Physiology, Toxicology, Drug metabolism, Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Public Health, Neuroscience, Cardiovascular, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Drug delivery, Drug formulation, Molecular Modelling and Food Science.
The research of the Institute is represented by five main groups:
* Biomedicinal chemistry and drug delivery
* Cell biology
* Infection, Immunity and Microbiology
* Integrative mammalian biology
* Pharmaceutical care and Public Health
The Institute has state-of-the-art facilities, including, molecular modelling, drug design and formulation, solid-state research laboratories, and Biophotonics.
Extensive collaborations exist with other departments within the University, as well as with external organisations such as the University of Glasgow and the NHS in Scotland, with particular links with Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Western Infirmary and the Southern General Hospital. There are also strong industrial links with several major UK and international companies. In addition, the Institute has established collaborations with universities and other organisations worldwide.
Total research funding for the Institute is currently £6 million, from a range of sources including Wellcome Trust, BBSRC, EPSRC, Leverhulme Trust, Tenovus-Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Executive, European Union, and industry.
The Institute currently comprises 73 academic staff, ~70 research staff, ~75 technical staff, 15 clerical/secretarial staff and 6 administrative staff.
The Graduate School of SIPBS co-ordinates the training of over 120 graduate students who come from a diverse range of backgrounds and nationalities. We offer a varied choice of MRes programmes as well 3 year PhD research programmes in most areas of research. The PhD training programme includes a mixture of project-specific skills training and generic skills training.
Project List:
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Karla Neves)Cardiovascular effects of combination therapy with VEGF inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer treatment
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(PhD Supervisor: Prof Daniel Walker)Determining the killing mechanism of potent lectin-like protein antibiotics
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Z Rattray)Developing novel bioanalytical pipelines for complex medicines
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(PhD Supervisor: Dr Natividad Gomez-Roman)Understanding the role of cholesterol in the survival and treatment resistance of glioblastoma and its feasibility as a druggable target to improve treatment prognosis