Program Overview

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Our research activity and supervision for PhD Applied Physics is concentrated in the following principal research areas: optical and semiconductor devices, semiconductors: theory and experiment, photonics, design and construction of ultrafast systems for Terahertz studies and THz spectroscopy of molecules. Our cross-disciplinary projects draw on the expertise of our electronic engineers, computer scientists, mathematicians, physicists and psychologists. We are one of the largest and best resourced schools in the UK. Our work is supported by extensive networked computer facilities and software aids, together with a wide range of test and instrumentation equipment. Our research covers a range of topics, from semiconductor device physics, the theory of computation and the philosophy of computer science, computational intelligence and computer games, to artificial intelligence and robotics, with most of our research groups based around laboratories offering world-class facilities. Our impressive external research funding stands at multi-million pounds per year and we participate in a number of EU initiatives and undertake projects under contract to many outside bodies, including government and industrial organisations. Studying within our School provides both the recent graduate and the practising engineer with an opportunity to gain new skills or enhance existing ones. Our graduates have progressed to a variety of senior positions in industry and academia. Some of the companies and organisations where our former graduates are now employed include: Alcatel Submarine, BT Group, QinetiQ, Dolby Laboratories, Fujitsu, Royal Air Forces, and within our University and Imperial College, London. Why we're great.

• Our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering has an international reputation for outstanding teaching and research
• We are one of the largest and best resourced schools in the UK. Our work is supported by extensive networked computer facilities and software aids, together with a wide range of test and instrumentation equipment.
• Our research covers a range of topics, from materials science and semiconductor device physics, to the theory of computation and the philosophy of computer science, with most of our research groups based around laboratories offering world-class facilities.

Our expert staff

Studying for your PhD involves person-to-person interaction with your supervisor, who will guide you in developing your chosen research topic, refine your research skills, and advise you in capitalising on the technical knowledge you already have from your taught degree. Supervisors often keep in touch with their PhD graduates throughout their careers, and may work on scientific collaborations with them after they finish their doctorate. Our PhD graduates generally go on to pursue careers as academics or as researchers in industry.

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Specialist facilities

Our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering provides six laboratories exclusively for computer science and electronic engineering students. Three of our software labs are open for 24 hours a day including weekends and you have free access to the labs except when there is a scheduled practical class in progress. Our labs are managed by an experienced and dedicated team of technical support staff who can assist you with most practical aspects of the curriculum - for example, advising on how to overcome programming problems. Our electronics laboratory is equipped with a standard set of modern bench equipment. The oscilloscopes are linked to networked PCs so that our students can capture waveforms from circuits under test and save the captured waveforms to their own personal networked disk space, from where they can later retrieve the saved waveforms for use in technical reports. The networked PC can also be used to access online lecture notes, and manufacturer's data sheets and catalogues on the Internet (and of course any other handy information on the Internet, such as tutorials, encyclopaedia articles, online library resources, that may be useful while working on a laboratory assignment or project work). Of course, there are also soldering irons and other wiring equipment, plus a stock of electronic components. We also have specialist facilities for research and study.

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Your future

Studying within our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering provides both the recent graduate and the practising engineer with the opportunity to gain new skills or enhance existing ones. Our graduates have progressed to a variety of senior positions in industry and academia. Some of the companies and organisations where our former graduates are now employed include: Electronic Data Systems, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Bank of Mexico, Visa International, Hyperknowledge (Cambridge), Hellenic Air Force, ICSS (Beijing), United Microelectronic Corporation (Taiwan) and within our University.