Details
The School of Metallurgy and Materials (including the IRC inMaterials Processing) is the largest centre for materials researchin the UK. We have more than 20 full-time academic staff in addition to 30 honorary and visiting staff, 30 research fellowsand close to 150 postgraduate students.
Our diverse research portfolio ranges from fundamental aspectsof materials science to practical high performance engineeringapplications. Research is funded from a wide range of sourcesincluding the UK research councils, the EU and a cross-sectionof UK and overseas industry. Our research income is around£4 million per annum. Most of our research projects involveactive collaboration with industrial partners.
The quality of the research work in Metallurgy and Materials has been confirmed by our performance in successive Research Assessment Exercises. We are justly proud of this international reputation and are keen to maintain it by encouraging high quality students from materials, physics, chemistry, life sciences or engineering backgrounds to apply to undertake research with us.
The quality of the research work in the Department of Metallurgy and Materials has been confirmed by our outstanding performance in successive Research Assessment Exercises.
We are justly proud of this international reputation and are keen to maintain it by encouraging high quality students from materials, physics, chemistry, life sciences or engineering backgrounds to apply to undertake research with us.
We are prepared to help in finding financial support, if needed. If you are interested in coming to do research with us, or with the Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) in Materials Processing, write directly to me or to the contacts given on our website. I look forward to hearing from you.
– Professor Paul Bowen, Head, Metallurgy and Materials
Our research activities are centred on the various groups listed below, although there is broad interaction between the groups.
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Why study this course
Facilities
We have first-class workshop facilities and a large suite of networked PCs, housed in a computing laboratory, which supplements the extensive computer facilities in individual research groups. Workstations and word processing facilities are widely available for our students.
We have an excellent range of research facilities for materials preparation and surface engineering. There are polymer-processing laboratories and the IRC possesses a large plasma-melting furnace, HIP equipment, direct laser fabrication, a shell laboratory and wax-dewaxing facility for investment casting, a laboratory forthe hydrothermal synthesis and colloidal processing of ceramics,and the £8 million Net Shape Manufacturing Laboratory.
The physical techniques laboratory contains a wide range of equipment. The world-class mechanical testing laboratories provide facilities for fracture and fatigue studies and are accredited by Rolls-Royce for the acquisition and interpretationof data. Our creep-testing laboratory provides specialised mechanical testing for polymers and foams, and X-ray diffraction facilities provide essential back-up to crystal growth and alloy preparation. Microstructural assessment is provided for withoptical microscopes and quantitative image analysis, and anextensive range of electron microscopes. The new hydrogen technology laboratory contains equipment to characterise the properties of materials in hydrogen, and we have good facilities for the fabrication and characterisation of optical fibre sensors.
Fees and funding
Standard fees apply, plus bench fee
Learn more about fees and funding.
Scholarships and studentships
Scholarships may be available. International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government.
For further information contact the School directly or email sfo@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
Entry requirements
The PhD is open to candidates with an upper second-class Honours degree or its equivalent in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics or Engineering. The MSc by Research is open to candidates with a good Honours degree or its equivalent.
Learn more about entry requirements.
International students
We accept a range of qualifications from different countries – learn more about international entry requirements.
Standard English language requirements apply.
How to apply
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