Materials engineering is an interdisciplinary field which deals with the study of matter and their properties; as well as the discovery and design of new materials. PhD topics can cover many different fields within the discipline, for example nanomaterial engineering, bioengineering, laser processing and advances composite materials to name a few fields. This PhD is based within the Energy and Sustainability Research Division and the Materials, Mechanics and Structures Research Division. This provides the opportunity to undertake a PhD in a wide range of research areas and work across traditional research boundaries being part of interdisciplinary teams. The research work carried out in the divisions spans a range of applications including medicine, aerospace and automotive engineering, energy and the construction industry, sustainable design and development and it includes work from the most fundamental studies up to near-commercial investigations.

Those who take up a postgraduate research opportunity with us will not only receive support in terms of close contact with supervisors and specific training related to your area of research, you will also benefit from dedicated careers advice from our Careers and Employability Service. Individual guidance appointments, career management training programme, access to resources and invitations to events including skills workshops and recruitment fairs are just some of the ways in which they can help you develop your full potential, whether you choose to continue within an academic setting or are looking at options outside of academia. Average starting salary and career progression Availability for employment and salary data for the Division of Materials, Mechanics and Structures is not attainable due to a small sample size.