Completing a research degree with us means that you will have regular interaction with internationally recognised industrial researchers. You will immerse yourself in a dynamic research environment and find various opportunities to contribute to wider research, teaching and funding proposals.
We offer an outstanding experience for research students with the following benefits:
- You will carry out research alongside talented academics working in similar fields
- While you engage in your own research, you have opportunities to interact with a dynamic research environment that is actively engaged in consultancy projects, teaching and writing funding proposals
- Students benefit from links with the wider faculty
- 24-hour access to research rooms, laboratories and computer suites providing access to specialist software such as CATIA, SolidWorks, GT Power, ANSYS, MATLAB, Mathcad, Star CCM+, Star CCM ICE, Adams, LS Dyna, Gabi 5, SAS and SPP
- Opportunity to participate in design and build of Formula Student cars for competition at Silverstone, and other circuits in Germany, Austria, Italy, and elsewhere
- A taught research training course that caters for both full and part-time study
- A wide variety of optional training courses, student events, lectures and other opportunities delivered in-house
- All students are allocated a Director of Studies and generally two other supervisors who they meet with regularly
- A range of personal support that includes access to a wide range of staff who are available for consultation
- Students benefit from automatic membership of the Faculty's Doctoral Training Programme
We welcome research proposals related to any of the subjects covered by the following research groups:
For enquiries about research projects in these groups, please contact the group leaders and the postgraduate tutor Professor John Durodola.
The application process is broken down into 5 steps:
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Check essential requirements
Before you apply, please check you meet entry requirements as well as the financial requirements of the programme.
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Explore our research groups and supervisory staff pages
Explore the research groups and their associated staff member to see how your chosen field of study aligns with the research portfolio within the school.
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Agree your research
Contact postgraduate research tutor Professor John Durodola to discuss your proposed research. You're welcome to contact academics to help you develop your ideas.
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Formulate your proposal
When you have agreed you research project with John, he will ask you to prepare and submit a proposal. If the proposal is acceptable John will ask you to make a formal application, or give you advice on how the proposal may be improved. For guidance on writing a PhD research proposal, download our research degree proposal guidelines.
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Gather required documents and submit:
Our MPhil/ PhD programme requires additional supporting documentation to be submitted as part of the application process. Before applying through UCAS Postgraduate please make sure you gather the following supporting documentation:
- Research proposal
- Scan of your passport - to confirm your name and date of birth. We will then ensure that any offer letters issued to you correspond with your passport name, this will help when applying for a student visa.
- IELTS Certificate or equivalent (if required) – no older than two years from the proposed start date of your programme.
- Scan of your final degree certificates already awarded
- Scan of transcripts
- Two references (at least one academic) - your references must be on institutional headed paper and be dated and signed by referee(s). They can be uploaded online to UCAS Postgraduate at either the initial application stage (if the referee permits the reference to be shared with you), or can be sent directly to the Research Administrator in the Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment in a sealed envelope, or emailed. Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure their referees supply these documents.
- Evidence of funding (if sponsored by an employer or government, you must provide evidence in the form of a recently dated sponsorship letter on official headed paper. If supporting your studies from private funds, you must provide a recently dated bank statement).
After your UCAS Postgraduate application has been submitted, these documents can be e-mailed directly to tde-researchpgr@brookes.ac.uk.
Submit your application through UCAS Postgraduate
You can apply for any of our MPhil/ PhD programmes at UCAS Postgraduate, the online application system used by Oxford Brookes. Please log onto UCAS Postgraduate and complete your application. You can save your draft as you go, log out and return to it later if you wish. At this stage your application can only be seen by you. If you have any difficulty completing your application, you can call the UCAS Postgraduate Helpline on +44 (0)871 334 4447. If you are calling from outside the UK, please call the international telephone number: +44 330 333 0235, Monday to Friday, 08:30-18:00 (UK time).
For MSc applications, download the paper application and submit the application along with the required supporting documents to tde-researchpgr@brookes.ac.uk. You should note that we cannot consider your application for admission until all the supporting documents have been received.