Postgraduate Research

Our Research at a Glance

Whether you are interested in pure or applied mathematics, the Department of Mathematics at the University of Surrey is the right place to undertake your studies for a PhD in mathematics.

The Department offers an exceptionally wide range of research opportunities at the forefront of current investigations. Our staff are engaged in research projects in fields ranging from analysis, nonlinear partial differential equations, and geometry to quantum field theory, general relativity, string theory, fluid dynamics, complex systems, statistics, and modelling in the life sciences.

Many of our staff are involved in extensive collaborations with scientists from other institutions from around the globe including Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, and the ETH Zurich as well as leading industries such as Pfizer, Offshore Wave Energy Limited, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency.

In addition, many of our research projects are funded by large-scale grants from the public and private sectors including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the London Mathematical Society, the Leverhulme Trust, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the European Union, the Natural Environment Research Council, and the Met Office.

In the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008), the Department was ranked 7th within the UK for its world-leading research outputs.

Your Training at a Glance

As a PhD student, you will be trained in research for a career as a professional mathematician, which will allow you to pursue a career in academia, industry or in the City. It usually takes between three and four years to complete our PhD Programme. You will work with one or perhaps two supervisors. You will meet with them on a frequent basis, discuss your research and your career development, and they will oversee your progress and offer advice throughout your PhD studies.

During your PhD studies, you will critically study your chosen field of research to reach the forefront of current research investigations, then you will propose a novel solution to the problem your are investigating, and finally you will analyse your solution. You will prepare research posters, give research talks, and publish your results in high impact research journals. You will also attend international conferences and visit other research groups to stay abreast of developments and to present your findings. The Department provides financial support for such visits and strongly encourages them. You will conclude your PhD studies with the defence of your dissertation in your viva examination.

You will also receive a comprehensive training in transferable skills through our Faculty Graduate School and the Postgraduate Skills Development Programme. The Graduate School provides a friendly social environment within the Faculty for our postgraduate research students to exchange ideas and experience. In addition, the Department is part of a wide range of training networks such as MAGIC which offer a large selection of PhD courses in pure and applied mathematics that will help broaden your horizon in a variety of fields.

Research Areas

The topic of a PhD dissertation may be chosen from a wide range of research topics within the Department. To learn more about current research activities, please refer to the respective websites of our research groups:

• Analysis and Nonlinear PDEs
• Biosystems
• Fields, Strings, and Geometry (see here for research areas)
• Geometric Mechanics and Fluids (see here and here for research areas)

Please also refer to the overview of research interests of our academic staff. Recently completed PhD dissertations can be found in the theses archive.

Entry Requirements

A good MMath, MPhys or MSc degree or a first class honours degree in mathematics, physical sciences or engineering. If your qualifications are of a slightly lower standard, but you have a lot of enthusiasm for your chosen research topic, please contact the PhD programme coordinators at maths-phd@surrey.ac.uk. Initially all PhD students are registered on a probationary status, with progression to full PhD registration following satisfactory progress within the first year.

Funding

Funding is available for outstanding candidates.

In particular, the Faculty has a number of fully funded PhD studentships for UK and EU nationals who can demonstrate the appropriate residency requirements. These studentships will include the tuition fees and a tax-free stipend. The Department has also a few scholarships for partial funding for overseas fees. However, funding for overseas students is limited and overseas students are in encouraged to find suitable funding themselves.

Some suggestions for potential funding sources (UK/EU and overseas) can be found at the Graduate School's funding page.

Application

Possible start dates of our PhD Programme are the 1st of October, 1st of January, 1st of April, and the 1st of July. 

To apply, please do complete the online application form. The application must include all of the following: 

• Cover letter (one A4 page maximum)
• CV including names of at least two academic referees (two A4 pages maximum)
• Personal statement including research interests and experience (one A4 page maximum)
• Copy of certified transcript including expected or actual degree class (no page limit)

Accepted minimum font size is 11pt and minimum margins are 2cm. Once the application form is submitted, applicants are asked to confirm their submission by sending an e-mail to maths-phd@surrey.ac.uk.

While the Department of Mathematics does not have strict deadlines, various funding and scholarship organisations do. In order not to miss out any opportunity, please see here for details.