PhD Engineering

Materials Research at Ulster University has jumped from 17th to 11th in the UK national league table for research excellence and in its research submission the Assessment Panel found strong evidence of world class research, supported by internationally leading research. In fact 95% of the staff are judged to be of international standing. The Assessment Panel for this highly competitive and economically important discipline were looking at scientific discovery and engineering innovation at some of the strongest academic institutions in the UK including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield and Imperial. The outcome for Ulster is a reward for the strategic focus in nanotechnology and advanced materials research and provides a strong foundation for future growth of this young and dynamic Institute. The Engineering Research Institute (ERI) is a materials-oriented research institute, with a focus in both structural and functional materials as well as polymers.

PhD Researchers have a chance to train on some of Europe’s best facilities and interact with international companies such as Unilever, Seagate Technology, Analog Devices, Bombardier, AVX Ceramics, Boston Scientific, GSK and Medtronics as well as USA and Asia based Academic Institutions. Researchers are also encouraged to attend, and present papers at international conferences throughout the world as well as participate in all forms of technology transfer.

PhD graduates are recognised by employers to hold valuable transferrable skills, as the nature of the degree trains candidates in creativity, critical inquiry, problem solving, negotiation skills, professionalism and confidence. The most recent Ulster survey of PhD graduates found that 92% had secured employment within the first year since graduation (HESA Destination of Leavers Survey 2015), and while two thirds end up in the Higher Education or Research sectors, the range of skills acquired equips the remainder for employment in a wide range of contexts.