Program Overview

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Overview

The School of Physics at Bristol University is one of the best Physics research environments in the UK - Bristol Physics research is ranked 4th in the UK (THE analysis of REF 2021). Our success today is built on immensely strong foundations: for more than 100 years, Bristol Physics has made major research contributions, including the discovery of the pi meson (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1950) and fundamental advances in quantum mechanics.

As a research student you will be a member of the Physics Graduate School, which comprises a community of up to 250 students from a diverse global background, and with a great gender balance. We have strong interactions with industry, and are well connected to the unique Bristol start-up and SME community, with opportunities for placements during your research programme and joint training activities.

Our Physics Graduate School organises social and scientific events to support you, coordinates skills training in Physics, organises induction, builds a community, and helps you navigate through the University procedures. We will also support your professional development as a teacher - many of our research students take up roles as paid Graduate Teaching Assistants for part of their working week, helping to support undergraduate programmes.

The School of Physics has a world-class reputation for cohort-based research training and has over the past ten years received UK national funding for Centres of Doctoral Training in Functional Nanomaterials, Condensed Matter Physics, Quantum Engineering, Particle Physics, Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning, and Advanced Computing.

Our research degree programmes are offered across six diverse research themes. For informal discussions before making an application, prospective students are encouraged to contact either the academic lead in the research theme of interest for guidance, or the potential supervisor for project discussions.

For your application you will need a CV, a personal statement introducing yourself and outlining your motivation for research, and details of your qualifications. Please see our Admissions Statement for more information.

Research Area:

Please make sure to indicate your preferred area of research at the top of your personal statement. This will help us to process the application effectively.

Key Information

Programme Duration

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

Start Date

• Not fixed, but the most common start date is September.

Application Deadline

• We welcome applications at any time of year. However, for opportunities linked to School of Physics funds, it is advised the application should be with us before the end of the calendar year.

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

• A first degree in physics or a related subject, normally at a level equivalent to at least UK upper second-class honours, or a relevant postgraduate master's qualification.
• See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
• Admissions Statement
  • Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
• English language requirements
  • If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level F.
  • Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.

Fees and Funding

• Home: full-time: £4,850 per year
• Home: part-time: £2,425 per year
• Overseas: full-time: £26,700 per year
• Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
• More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
• Alumni discount
  • University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
• Funding and scholarships
  • In each academic year, the School of Physics has a number of scholarships for PhD degrees, which are awarded competitively to candidates with the highest research potential.
  • The School also typically receives a number of University of Bristol PGR Scholarships each year.
  • The School also offers a number of MScR Research Bursaries, which provide financial support for part of the costs of the MScR research degree.
  • We warmly welcome applications from candidates who are applying for funding in their home country, for example; your own Government scholarships, China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships, charities.

Career Prospects

• Graduates with Bristol Physics research degrees are highly valued by employers and universities across the world, as evidenced by our research graduates working successfully in a huge variety of fields spanning finance, large corporates, high-technology start-ups, education, academia, and many more.
• For all these professional occupations, the skills you will gain through your research degree will be invaluable.
• A Bristol Physics research degree will equip you with a unique set of skills: the ability to analyse problems; the capability to plan a project; the expertise of communicating complex ideas; the ability to work independently for periods but also to work productively as part of a team; the confidence to write technically at different levels; and an ease in presenting and speaking.

Meet Our Supervisors

The following list shows potential supervisors for this programme. Visit their profiles for details of their research and expertise.

• Dr Massimo Antognozzi
• Dr Adrian Barnes
• Dr Jorge Barreto
• Dr Chris Bell
• Professor Malcolm Bremer
• Dr Jim Brooke
• Professor Antony Carrington
• Professor Stephen Clark
• Professor Stephen Dugdale
• Professor Henning Flaecher
• Dr Felix Flicker
• Dr Sotiria Fotopoulou
• Professor Neil Fox
• Dr Sven Friedemann
• Professor Joel Goldstein
• Dr Simon Hanna
• Professor Stephen Hayden
• Professor Helen Heath
• Professor Nigel Hussey
• Professor Martin Kuball
• Professor Anthony Laing
• Professor Zoe Leinhardt
• Dr Ian Lindsay
• Dr Natasha Maddox
• Dr Tomas Martin
• Professor Ben Maughan
• Professor Jennifer McManus
• Professor Ruth Oulton
• Dr Sudarshan Paramesvaran
• Dr Konstantinos Petridis
• Professor Sandu Popescu
• Professor Jonas Rademacker
• Dr Giulia Rubino
• Dr Andrei Sarua
• Professor Tom Scott
• Professor Annela Seddon
• Dr Tony Short
• Dr Paul Skrzypczyk
• Dr Matthew Smith
• Dr Ross Springell
• Dr Natasa Vasiljevic
• Professor Jaap Velthuis
• Dr Hannah Wakeford
• Dr Carrie Weidner
• Professor Nigel Wilding
• Dr Andrew Young

Research Groups

• The School of Physics has a strong international reputation across various research fields. The main themes include:
  • Astrophysics
    • Academic Contact: Dr Natasha Maddox
    • Researchers study phenomena like extrasolar planets, black holes, galaxies, clusters, and cosmology using world-class telescopes.
  • Materials and Devices
    • Academic Contact: Dr Natasa Vasiljevic
    • This theme focuses on innovative applications of physics in industries through advances in materials and devices.
  • Particle Physics
    • Academic Contact: Dr Sudarshan Paramesvaran
    • This theme is at the forefront of data analysis and operations for the CMS, LHCb, LZ and NA62 experiments.
  • Quantum and Soft Matter
    • Academic Contact: Prof Antony Carrington
    • Soft matter includes materials where thermal energy plays a key role, such as colloidal particles that exhibit non-equilibrium behavior.
  • Quantum Engineering Technologies
    • Academic Contact: Dr Carrie Weidner
    • Quantum technologies enable tasks beyond classical systems, such as factoring large numbers or simulating quantum systems.
  • Theoretical Physics
    • Academic Contact: Dr Stephen Clark
    • Theoretical physics complements experimental work, interpreting results.

How to Apply

• Apply via our online application system.
• For further information, please see the guidance for how to apply on our webpages.
• Application deadline: We welcome applications at any time of year. However, for opportunities linked to School of Physics funds, it is advised the application should be with us before the end of the calendar year.