Chemistry

Studying the Chemistry programme at the University of Surrey will see you join an internationally renowned and research-active department, with a strong track-record of employability and research excellence.

This Chemistry Chemistry PhD programme offers an opportunity to enhance your understanding of cutting-edge developments across various fields in this fascinating area of study. Many of the research themes are aimed at solving real-world problems, providing you with the opportunity to undertake meaningful research.

Career opportunities

This PhD Chemistry programme at Surrey will deepen your understanding of the latest advances in synthetic and medicinal chemistry, natural products chemistry, materials and polymer chemistry, inorganic chemistry, fuel cell research, nanotechnology, and environmental, forensic and computational chemistry. A suitable project can be proposed or outlined by your supervisor. It must be a novel piece of research that is expected to take the subject forward and ultimately contribute to the advancement of chemical knowledge. Research takes place over most of a three-year period and is generally laboratory-based. A thesis or dissertation is written during the last few months. Throughout the writing process, both during the PhD and for the final submission, you can count on the help and support of your supervisor. There are formal and informal University and School induction programmes during the first few months, depending on the nature of the research. There are regular formal reviews at six-month intervals to ensure progress is maintained. As a PhD student, you’ll be expected to develop real critical analysis skills, to interpret novel results and change how we think about the field, even if this is on a small scale. Initially, this is likely to be very much in consultation with your supervisor, but as your PhD progresses, you’ll increasingly apply these skills independently and will become an expert in your field. Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners. You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.

Research themes

• Computational chemistry

• Environmental chemistry

• Forensic analysis

• Inorganic chemistry

• Materials chemistry

• Medicinal chemistry

• Polymer chemistry

• Radiochemistry.