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Current research degree projects

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Explore our current postgraduate research degree and PhD opportunities.

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288 research degree projects

Electronics and Computer Science | Engineering | Physics and astronomy

Engineering perfect superconducting qubits

This project engineers the atomic-scale microstructure of Josephson junctions—optimising grain orientation, stress, and interfaces—for longer-lived, reproducible qubits. Students will combine advanced thin-film growth, microscopy, and cryogenic testing to engineer “perfect” quantum hardware.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Electronics and Computer Science

Space-time quantum metasurfaces for fault-tolerant, scalable quantum computing

This project studies a new hardware paradigm for quantum computing, will theoretically design and experimentally realise a space-time quantum metasurface, a network of dynamically coupled, time-varying qubits. This architecture aims to enable real-time error mitigation and unlock scalable, fault-tolerant quantum processing through emergent collective phenomena.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Engineering | Electronics and Computer Science | Physics and astronomy

Electrically driven quantum light sources from two-dimensional materials

This PhD project will develop reliable and cost-effective on-chip quantum light sources from foundry-compatible 2D materials. Using advanced nanofabrication and spectroscopy, the research will control strain, spin injection, and twist angles to create electrically driven, high-purity entangled single-photon emitter arrays that are crucial for photonic quantum information processing technologies.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Electronics and Computer Science | Engineering | Physics and astronomy | Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Integrating quantum and classical sensors for long-duration inertial navigation

Navigational drift is a major bottleneck for systems operating in GPS-denied underwater, space, and subterranean environments. This project advances navigation in such conditions by fusing fast, drift-prone classical inertial sensors with stable quantum measurements. You will develop fusion algorithms, explore sensor configurations, and validate performance through simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Electronics and Computer Science | Engineering | Physics and astronomy | Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Symmetry-based control of quantum dynamics: from quantum sensing to magnetic resonance imaging

Quantum spin systems may be controlled by the experimentalist using sequences of magnetic fields. In this project, you will design control fields for spin systems using recently developed symmetry theorems. The project involves a combination of theory, numerical simulation, and experiments performed locally and through international collaborations.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Electronics and Computer Science | Engineering | Physics and astronomy

High resolution sensing and computing for extreme conditions

Aviation is entering a transformative era defined by emerging propulsion technologies, intelligence, and innovations such as quantum technologies. If you are driven to create high-resolution sensing technologies that enable smarter, data-informed decision-making in aviation, this project offers an opportunity to contribute to the next generation of intelligent aerospace systems.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Electronics and Computer Science | Chemistry and Chemical Engineering | Engineering | Mathematical sciences | Physics and astronomy

Shadow tomography for in-context quantum machine learning

The project brings ideas from the observation of "in-context learning" in large language models into quantum computing. The aim is to design transformer-inspired quantum circuit architectures that brings in-context choice of families of measurement operators for shadow tomography. This contributes to hybrid NISQ quantum-classical algorithms.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 July 2026
Photonics and optoelectronics

Hyperuniform disordered metasurfaces for solar thermal energy conversion

Harnessing structural disorder to control light offers a new route to highly efficient solar thermal energy harvesting. This project will develop and model hyperuniform disordered metasurfaces, a new class of nanostructured materials that achieve near perfect absorption and minimal thermal losses for next generation solar thermal energy systems.

Funding: Competition funded

Closing date: 31 May 2026
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Sustainable batteries for smart textiles for healthcare

Flexible batteries with seamless integration in textiles will revolutionize the healthcare system. Such batteries could power sensors to continuously monitor vital signals, and antennas to transmit the information to a medical doctor when urgent action is required. This project will investigate smart combinations of materials to build such batteries.

Funding: Fully funded (UK only)

Closing date: 1 June 2026
Physics and astronomy | Engineering | Photonics and optoelectronics

Terahertz beam modulation and steering

This project will focus on designing and testing terahertz (THz) light modulators and manipulators using microstructured materials combined with liquid crystals. It will explore how such systems can resonantly amplify THz field, causing the adjacent layer of liquid crystals to locally reorient thus changing the optical transmission and beam path.

Funding: Fully funded (UK only)

Closing date: 27 February 2026