DTP 2018-19 Brunel University London

Brunel University London has a well-founded reputation as a leader in research, consistently offering "research and enterprise for the benefit of individual and society" since 1966 when the University received its Royal Charter. Brunel University London is firmly within the top quarter of research universities in the UK according to REF 2014. Our research in engineering, design and physical sciences spans a variety of major fields from energy, automotive, materials, manufacturing, design, mechanical and electrical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, digital technologies, as well as mathematical sciences and computing.
Postgraduate research students are valued members of the University's research community and make a significant contribution to the University's thriving research activities. The importance of developing transferable skills during a research programme is well recognised by research funders, employers and doctoral graduates. A doctoral qualification demonstrates an exceptionally high level of academic achievement. However, to be effective as a doctoral researcher and subsequently in a doctoral career (within or outside academia), postgraduate researchers also need a broader range of professional (transferable) skills. Brunel offers a variety of opportunities for postgraduate research students to develop their skills. Research students are expected to take responsibility for shaping, managing and directing their research training (taking advice from the supervisory team). The Brunel 3D Researcher Development Tool has been developed by the University to provide a common framework to enable all research students to reflect upon their training and development needs.
A number of EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTP) studentships are available to support postgraduate research opportunities in engineering, design and physical sciences in the Institute of Materials and Manufacturing (IMM) (for improving the performance of materials and structures), Institute of Energy Futures (IEF) (for improving energy usage and reducing greenhouse gas emissions), the Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, as well as the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences (CEDPS) (mathematical science, big data, autonomous systems and robotics, digital technologies).
The DTP funding will be used strategically to consolidate the critical mass in areas of intensive research activities and excellent infrastructure at Brunel, which are represented by the research themes in the research institutes and the research clusters in the CEDPS. Such research areas include:
Structural Integrity
(National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC))
Materials Characterisation and Processing
Liquid Metal Engineering
(Advanced Metal Casting Centre (AMCC))
Design for Sustainable Manufacturing
Micro-Nano Manufacturing
Energy Efficient and Sustainable Technologies
(RCUK National Centre for Sustainable Energy use in Food chains (CSEF))
Advanced Powertrain and Fuels
(EPSRC-funded Centre for Engine Flow and Combustion Diagnostics (CEFCOM))
Smart Power Networks
Resource Efficient Future Cities
Bio-medical Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Big Data Analytics
Autonomous Systems and Robotics
Human-Centred Design
Digital Technologies

We welcome applications for studentships in these areas. The DTP funding will be used to match the industrial support of PhD studentships and to support PhD students spending a period of time at an industrial company. In support of mathematical sciences and their application to engineering and physical sciences, the DTP funding will continue to be made available to newly-appointed academic staff in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. Four fully funded 3 year PhD studentships from the first EPSRC grant, starting in 2016 and 2017, were awarded to staff in the department.