Engineering & Mathematics 2025 PhD Projects

The Engineering and Mathematics subject group has a strong research expertise in energy, materials & manufacturing, mechanical & design, mathematics & modelling, automation & robotics, and operations & production management. Our students focus on engineering practices, computing skills and principles of design relating to a wide range of mechanical and energy systems. They learn to integrate their knowledge of mathematics, science, information technology, design and management and apply it to solve complex engineering problems. Our Energy and Environmental Engineering programme also helps students to gain an understanding of the operation and specification of renewable energy systems and consider the use and impact of appropriate materials and methods of manufacture and covers building services design for zero emissions. These programmes will also help the students to develop their skills in innovative thinking. 

The subject group also has strong industry links to ensure our programmes are highly relevant and up to date, providing professional insight and crucial knowledge for success. Our specialist labs include robotics and automated manufacturing which contains systems such as flexible manufacturing systems and autonomous robotics, advanced materials lab that contains solution blow spinning facility, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, mechanical testing facilities, a manufacturing lab that has a wide range of conventional machine tools as well as CNC machining centres equipped with Kistler cutting force dynamometer setup.

Funded

Novel metamaterials for mechanical waves attenuation (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Vladimir Bratov

Development of Shape-stabilised PCMs from Agricultural Waste for Clean Energy Applications (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Carolina Costa Pereira

Photo-thermal composite Phase Change Materials for Photovoltaic and Thermal Hybrid Applications (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Carolina Costa Pereira

Projects in mathematical systems and control theory (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Chris Guiver

A Circular Approach to Manufacturing Sustainable Powertrains for Wind Turbines (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Pablo Jaen-Sola

Advanced Computational Methodologies for Smart Multifunctional Composites (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Chennakesava Kadapa

Human-centred design for autonomous and intelligent complex manufacturing systems (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Adelaide Marzano

Robot Learning for Robust Control (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Simon Smith

Development of solar concentrator for hydrogen production in solar thermochemical water-splitting cycle (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Firdaus Muhammad Sukki

Modelling and optimisation of infrastructure for the decarbonisation of transport in rural areas (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Stathis Tingas

New frontiers in zoonotic disease modelling and policy guidance: bridging the gap between epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Stathis Tingas

A zero-carbon hydrogen fuelled compression ignition engine for heavy-duty transport applications (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Stathis Tingas

Development of VR-based Real-time Feedback System for Net-Zero Manufacturing Operations (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Gokula Vasantha

Advanced Control Systems for Energy Storage Technologies (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Yuyang Zhou

Stochastic randomized control on bicycle balance (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Yuyang Zhou

UAV Obstacle Avoidance Using Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Control (Funded)

Supervisor – Dr Yuyang Zhou

Self funded

Modelling of microbial induced hydrogen loss for underground hydrogen storage (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Zuansi Cai

3D forming of cellulosic biopolymer materials using electrohydrodynamic atomisation (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Dongyang Sun

Developing solution for robot in an uncertain environment (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Keng Goh

Arithmetic and Analysis (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Kevin Hughes

Novel Design for Sodium Battery – Modelling and Experimental Validation (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Fadi Kahwash

Development of Biodegradable Fiber-Based Bags for Sustainable Plant Nurture (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Reza Salehiyan

Building integrated Photvoltaic for existing buildings (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Nazmi Sellami

PV soiling – Design of sustainable cleaning system (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Nazmi Sellami

Solar Atmospheric Water Generation from air (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Nazmi Sellami

Manufacture of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using Electroless Co Deposition (Self funded)

Supervisor – Dr Neil Shearer

Recycling Polymeric based Composites for Construction Applications (Self funded)

Supervisor – Prof. Islam Shyha