Ph.D. Research Projects

Ph.D in the Superconductivity and Magnetism Group

Positions for Ph.D. students are available every year for students wishing to start in October. Most of these are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and are thus only able to provide full support for EU citizens.

What kind of research projects do we offer?

Details of the kind of research work we are involved in are given in the Research section of this web site. It is not the policy of the Group to write down prescriptive research project outlines. New students are encouraged to discuss the kind of work they are interested in with their supervisor, (one of the permanent academic members of staff). Working together you will develop an informal research plan, covering at least the first year of the Ph.D. work.

Current & previous track record for Superconductivity and Magnetism Group Ph.D. students

There are currently 8 students working towards a Ph.D. or M.Sc. in the Superconductivity and Magnetism Group. One M.Sc. student and 13 Ph.D. students have graduated from the Group in the last eighteen years.

Students are encouraged to take part in all aspects of work in the group. This includes sample preparation, measurements in the laboratory and neutron scattering studies. This has the advantage of:

a) offering you the student, the widest possible experience of research work.

b) gives you a good chance to discover what kind of work you are good at and enjoy the most

In the second and third year, in consultation with their supervisor and other permanent members of the Group, students develop and refine their research programme. Most students are encouraged to work on two or three strands of research simultaneously. This means:

a) you will always have something to do.

b) inevitably some projects will produce more interesting results than others. Successful strands of research can be pursued while less promising avenues of research can be discontinued.

This will ensure that half way through your final year you will, with hard work, have enough new and original material to write up your thesis. You will also have gained valuable experience in a several different areas of experimental solid state physics. This will leave you well placed for the next step in your career.

How can I find out even more about the kind of work I will be doing?

In order to get a better understanding of the kind of projects we can offer, why not take a look at a few of the pages on this site that describe the work of some of our current and former research students.