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Applied Mathematics PhD

Start date
Contact us for start date.
Duration
PhD: 3 years full-time; 6 years part-time
Course Type
Postgraduate, Doctoral research
Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024/25 are as follows:
£4,778 UK students
£21,360 International Students
Further fee information is available.

The Applied Mathematics group contributes to research on a wide range of topics in Continuum Mechanics, Mathematical Biology, Nonlinear Systems, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing.

The Applied Mathematics Group is recognised for world leading and internationally excellent research and has active collaborations with researchers from industry, healthcare, and other areas of science and engineering. The group provides opportunities for postgraduate research across many areas of Applied Mathematics. Many PhD projects arise from engineering applications and involve collaborations with academic and industrial partners.

Continuum Mechanics is a traditionally strong research field within the School. Active research is pursued in the areas of bubble dynamics, biological and physiological fluid mechanics, dynamic wetting, flow in porous media, dynamics of liquid jets and drops, flows with phase transitions, fuel cells and many more. This research involves mathematical modelling, mathematical analysis of models and the underlying physical phenomena, as well as development of novel computational tools.

Research activities in Mathematical Biology range from applications in healthcare (antimicrobial resistance, cancer, epilepsy, microsurgical robots and infertility for example) and climate change (response of plants to increasing carbon dioxide levels), through fundamental biology (left-right symmetry-breaking in early embryo development; the role of anisotropy in tissue growth) and ecology (complexity of ecosystems and food webs), to novel mathematical and computational methods (meshfree computations for viscous flow, spitting schemes for stochastic differential equations). This research has close links to a range of stakeholders, in particular, the Centre for Systems Modelling and Quantitative Biomedicine, Institute for Microbiology and Infection, Healthcare Technology Institute, and Birmingham Institute for Forestry Research.

Research in the broad area of Nonlinear Systems combines the development of fundamental mathematical theory and methodology for solving reaction-diffusion systems, inverse problems and dynamical systems with contribution to a wide range of engineering and industrial applications. The application areas include nonlinear waves in river flows, oil pipeline flows, free surface flows and jets, chemical reactions and hydrogen fuel cell models.

Research in Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing covers a wide range of areas related to the design, analysis and implementation of robust and accurate numerical algorithms for solving mathematical problems coming from real-life applications. The areas of particular focus and expertise include numerical methods for partial differential and boundary integral equations, adaptive algorithms, numerical linear algebra, approximation theory, numerical methods for uncertainty quantification, algorithms for large-scale problems, and research software development.

Researchers and PhD students have access to powerful computing resources and facilities, including the University High Performance Computing cluster BlueBEAR and large-data storage facility (BEAR Research Data Store).

Training of PhD students is provided through individual supervision of research as well as by taking relevant taught modules and attending advanced research seminars and conferences.

Why study Applied Mathematics PhD at Birmingham?

  • The School of Mathematics has a strong research culture, with researchers of international stature in each of its main specialisms.
  • The University of Birmingham is one of the prestigious Russell group research-intensive Universities in the UK. The School of Mathematics attracts gifted graduate students from across the world.
  • The School collaborates widely with multiple disciplines, including Biological and Medical Sciences, Chemical Engineering and within industry.  In particular, Birmingham is an emerging centre for multidisciplinary Biological Systems Science research, and is in a unique position, being adjacent to one of the largest super-hospitals in Europe, catering for a highly diverse population. 
  • Learn from world leaders in their fields.

Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee. Tuition Fees 2024/25 academic year:

  • £4,778 UK students, full-time
  • £21,360 International students, full-time

Learn more about fees and funding.

Postgraduate Doctoral Loan

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course, such as a PhD.

Scholarships

We offer a range of postgraduate scholarships for taught programmes and research opportunities to ensure the very best talent is nurtured and supported at postgraduate level.


We award up to ten EPSRC doctoral training grants each year to eligible UK students. In exceptional circumstances fully-funded School doctoral training grants may be awarded. Additional income can often be generated by tutorial and marking work.

How To Apply

International students applying for this programme will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the University can issue you with a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). We recommend that you apply for your ATAS certificate as soon as you receive an offer from us.

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate research programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the research programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

A 2:1 Honours degree in a Mathematics-related subject, or a lower degree plus an MSc or substantial relevant experience. Learn more about entry requirements.

International students applying for this programme will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the University can issue you with a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). We recommend that you apply for your ATAS certificate as soon as you receive an offer from us.

International Requirements



International Students

English language

For students whose first language is not English, one of the following English language qualifications is required:

 
  • IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band
  • TOEFL: 80 overall with no less than 19 in Reading, 19 in Listening, 21 in Speaking and 19 in Writing
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) including online: Academic 64 with no less than 59 in all four skills
  • Cambridge English (exams taken from 2015): Advanced – minimum overall score of 169, with no less than 162 in any component
 

International students applying for this programme will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the University can issue you with a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). We recommend that you apply for your ATAS certificate as soon as you receive an offer from us.

We are internationally renowned for our world-leading research, which involves international and multidisciplinary collaboration. We have strong research groups in algebra, analysis, combinatorics, continuum mechanics, initiatives and infrastructures, mathematical biology, nonlinear systems, numerical analysis, statistics, and theoretical and computational optimization.

The Applied Mathematics Group is recognised for world leading and internationally excellent research and has collaborations with researchers from industry, healthcare, and other areas of science and engineering.

Visit our Applied Mathematics research group website for further information.

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