Engineering Materials

The study of Engineering Materials at the University of Surrey bridges the gap between the physical sciences, where understanding of atomic and molecular phenomena helps explain fundamental behaviours, and engineering structures, where practical applications of such phenomena are realised.

The University of Surrey will provide a multidisciplinary environment where doctoral students from different disciplines can meet and work together on applied engineering research topics with a direct impact on society.

Career opportunities

This Engineering Materials PhD will give you the knowledge, skills and expertise needed for a career in engineering, research or academia. You’ll be intellectually challenged, develop research and management skills, and become an expert in your chosen field of study.It normally takes around three years to complete a full-time PhD. You’ll be assigned a minimum of two supervisors, who’ll guide you through your studies. You’ll learn how to conduct literature reviews, develop your ideas and verify them with experiments, and collaborate and perform interdisciplinary research. You will develop your skills over time to become an independent researcher.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

• Adhesive bonding

• Additive manufacturing and printing

• Ceramics

• Composites

• Design

• Energy generation, harvesting and storage

• Engineering materials

• Materials for infrastructure

• Nanomaterials

• Smart materials

• Surface and interface reactions

• Structural health monitoring