Program Overview

Overview

Our multidisciplinary research addresses the global need for delivering long-term, sustainable performance of existing and new infrastructure systems. We are leaders in modelling and managing the impacts of extreme natural and human hazards, such as earthquakes, climate change, flooding, industrial processes, traffic and crowds.

Our application studies range from complete national and regional systems (such as national hydrological models, water systems, electricity and transport networks) through individual artefacts (such as nuclear facilities, offshore wind farms, underground services, dams, long-span bridges and buildings), down to local scale buckling models of reinforcing bars in concrete or mechanical characterisation of small-scale soil elements.

Much of our research requires numerical and experimental investigations across the length scales, from micro and macro to large, from particulate to continuum. It also includes monitoring of prototypes, for example, the dynamics of cable-stayed bridges such as the Second Severn Crossing, analysis of deep excavations and flood prediction based on real-time radar detection of rainfall.

We collaborate widely with academic and industrial partners from across the engineering, science and social science disciplines, and from around the world.

Key Information

Programme Duration

• MScR: up to two years full-time; up to four years part-time.
• PhD: up to four years full-time; up to eight years part-time.

Start Date

• From September 2025

Application Deadline

• For September 2025 entry:
  • Overseas: 31 July 2025
  • Home: 18 August 2025

Delivery Method

• On-Campus

Location

• Clifton

Awards Available

• PhD, MSc by research

World-Leading Research

• 5th: The University of Bristol is ranked fifth for research in the UK (Times Higher Education).
• 94%: 94% of our research assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Entry Requirements

• PhD applicants must hold/achieve a minimum of upper second class MEng/MSci (or equivalent) or a merit at postgraduate master's degree level (or international equivalent) in a relevant discipline. Applicants without a master's qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis, provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree.
• MSc by research applicants must hold/achieve a minimum of an upper second class honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant discipline and demonstrate readiness to pursue a research degree.

Fees and Funding

• Home: full-time - £4,850 per year
• Home: part-time - £2,425 per year
• Overseas: full-time - £26,700 per year

Career Prospects

• Civil engineering PhD graduates are found in a variety of careers, including world-leading research. Many also work as consultants or as part of large-scale engineering industries.

Meet Our Supervisors

• Dr Jitendra Agarwal
• Dr Neil Carhart
• Dr Manjola Caro
• Professor Adam Crewe
• Professor Flavia De Luca
• Dr Raffaele De Risi
• Professor Andrea Diambra
• Professor Dawei Han
• Dr Paul Harper
• Dr Liz Holcombe
• Professor Guy Howard
• Professor Nicholas Howden
• Professor Erdin Ibraim
• Dr Dimitris Karamitros
• Dr Tingfa Liu
• Dr John May
• Dr Thea Morgan
• Professor George Mylonakis
• Professor James Norman
• Dr Francesca Pianosi
• Dr Shams Rahman
• Dr Miguel Rico-Ramirez
• Dr Rafael Rosolem
• Professor Anastasios Sextos
• Dr Kathryn Terzano
• Dr Eleni Toumpanaki
• Professor Theo Tryfonas
• Dr Paul Vardanega
• Dr Ross Woods

Research Groups

Earthquake and Geotechnical Engineering

• The Earthquake and Geotechnical Engineering (EGE) research group is world-leading, hosting a unique multimillion-pound earthquake engineering laboratory equipped with several shake table earthquake simulators, a soil pit testing configuration, strong floors and a reaction wall.

Water and Environment

• The Water and Environmental Engineering research group is concerned with characterising and simulating the water environment in a changing world. We advance the sustainable use of water resources, provide design variables for infrastructure and enhance the security of society regarding floods and other environmental hazards.

Systems and Safety

• The Infrastructure Systems research group develops novel, holistic approaches for characterising and managing the safe and sustainable performance of complex socio-technical systems.