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Smart thinkers

Do you want teaching that challenges your mind, stretches your thinking and makes you see the world in a different way.

Oxford Brookes academics are smart thinkers who will challenge you to think in new ways. Going the extra mile is their hallmark and many are international experts in their field.

They are often recognised externally for their expertise and commitment to their discipline – receiving awards and accolades into the bargain.

Oxford Brookes academics offer you

  • knowledge and expertise grounded in the real world,
  • supportive, student-focused teaching that treats you as an individual,
  • passion and enthusiasm for their subject.

A scholarship + great supervison and laboratory facilities = A perfect package

Structural Engineer Dimitrios Moutaftsis was already impressed by Oxford Brookes before he started his PhD in Architecture, thanks to collaboration between his former employer and the University.

“I wanted to study somewhere where practical issues mattered and Brookes’ focus on the real world – on research that actually makes a difference to society – is one of the University’s strengths. Having worked in industry – for consultancies – I know how vital it is to ensure that theory works in practice. The fact that part of my scholarship [1] is sponsored by Tata Steel Colors means I benefit enormously from their experience and insights.

“A combination of a Brookes scholarship and already knowing how good the University’s laboratory facilities and staff were, meant it wasn’t difficult to choose Brookes. It had exactly the package I was looking for.”

Dimitrios Moutaftsis, Structural engineer

Photo of Dimitrios Moutaftsis

Excellent supervision

Dr Martin Heywood and Professor Ray Ogden are both excellent supervisors. Their in-depth knowledge and industry acumen and contacts have really helped my research, as have their willingness to support me and ability to inspire me. They are never too busy to see me and I always feel they respect and treat me as an equal.

Finding real world solutions

My research focuses on construction solutions for industrial buildings, particularly associated with the coupled structural performance between the building envelope and the supporting structure.

Ultimately, I want to be able to produce a set of recommendations for the building industry that are trialled and tested – so that they are known to work. That’s where Brookes’ structural laboratory comes in. It enables me to carry out experimental work, to see how materials behave, how computer-generated models work in real life, and to conduct experiments to test my theories.”

[1] the scholarship is also funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council