Success story – Amandeep Virk
Amandeep Virk’s doctoral thesis contributed to eight refereed research papers, three journal review papers and one book chapter.
Read about his
project description
.
School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics
PhD Mechanical Engineering
| Duration | Full time: 2-4 years
|
| Course type | Full-time, Part-time route available |
| Study location | Plymouth |
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is awarded for a research study, normally over a three-year period, which makes a significant contribution to knowledge. Candidates must demonstrate that they have made an original personal contribution to the understanding of a problem in a specific field, the advancement of knowledge, or the generation of new ideas.
Key features
- Mechanical engineering research is embedded in two research groups;
Autonomous Marine Systems ,Materials and Structures , and supports Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport. - Autonomous Marine Systems (AMS) research group comprises a multidisciplinary team with expertise across artificial intelligence (AI), advanced control systems engineering theory, multi-sensor data fusion, dynamics, thermodynamics and fluids, smart materials, marine power plant, marine vehicle performance prediction, propulsors, integrated navigation systems and marine renewable energy.
- MAterials and STructures (MAST) research (including Civil and Structural Materials, Composites Engineering, and Structural Integrity) covers many aspects of mechanics in materials and structures. This includes structural integrity focusing on fatigue and fracture of materials, multi-scale and multi-phase modelling of materials, and structural modelling using FEA.
- Composites Engineering addresses fibre-reinforced polymer matrix composites with specialisations in composites manufacture, process-property-mesostructure relationships, marine composites, natural fibre reinforcements, or smart materials and intelligent structures.
Course details
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Year 1
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This full time or part time doctoral programme is suitable for people who have a particular research question or topic in mind, and wish to explore this through independent study in order to produce an original contribution to the subject. If you aspire to a research career this is the most appropriate research degree to undertake.You will be guided by a small supervisory team of academic experts under the direction of a Director of Studies.You will be expected to fully engage with skills development and training and to present your research in a range of scholarly contexts.Your PhD will be assessed via submission of either a written thesis (approximately 80,000 words), and a viva voce (an oral examination).For full details of what doing a PhD entails at the University of Plymouth, please visit our
postgraduate research degrees pages .
Entry requirements
Applicants are expected to have completed a masters level qualification to a high standard (e.g. at 'merit' or 'distinction' level) as well as either a good 2:1 or first class honours undergraduate degree in an area of study appropriate to your project proposal. We are happy to consider equivalent qualifications.
You will also need to provide evidence that you are ready to pursue the project you propose in your application. This will take the form of a sample of critical writing, and if relevant, documentation of relevant creative or professional practice.
If English is not your first language, you must have proficiency in written and spoken English (normally a minimum test score of 6.5 for IELTS, or equivalent). Given the nature of the programme, you’ll be expected to read and engage with complex theoretical texts and debates for which fluency in English is essential.
Remote supervision of overseas students is possible subject to identification of a supervisor local to the candidate.
For more general guidelines and application requirements, please visit the
research degrees applicants
page.
Fees, costs and funding
Please visit
tuition fees for postgraduate research
for information about fees. ResM/MPhil/PhD Mechanical Engineering is in Band 2 for fees purposes.
If you are a full time student, you will pay full time fees for three years. If you have not submitted your thesis by the end of this period, then you may pay for an optional one year writing up period.
If you are a part time student, you will pay part time fees for four years. If you have not submitted your thesis by the end of this period, then you may pay for an optional 'writing up' period of up to two years.
You are responsible for meeting all of the costs related to your own research project, beyond the resources available in the department.
Please visit our postgraduate research
money matters page
to find out more about issues related to fees, funding, loans and paying for your programme of study.
Please note that home fees are reviewed on an annual basis.
How to apply
In addition to completing the online application form (which includes space for a personal statement), you must also upload a research project proposal. Your research proposal should outline your research topic, your key aims and the research question/problem you are addressing, a brief literature review, your proposed methodology, and an explanation of why this topic is significant or important.
Your personal statement should briefly explain why you have chosen to apply to our programme and what you feel you can offer our research community.
Submitting your application
Complete your application and upload supporting documents to the
Doctoral College
by completing our online application form.
Questions on the application process?
We're here to help. Please contact the
Doctoral College
and we'll be happy to assist you.
More information and advice for applicants can be referenced in our admissions policy which can be found on the
student regulations, policies and procedures
page. Prospective students are advised to read the policy before making an application to the University.
Autonomous Marine Systems Research Group (AMS)
The Autonomous Marine Systems (AMS) Research Group is a focal point for inter disciplinary studies and inter-school collaborations, particularly with the University's
People
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![Mr Tom Crichton Associate Head of School (Recruitment)]( "Mr Tom Crichton")
Mr Tom Crichton
Associate Head of School (Recruitment)
-
![Ming Dai Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering]( "Ming Dai")
Ming Dai
Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering
-
![Mr Tim Davies Senior Technician (Navigation & Maritime Science)]( "Mr Tim Davies")
Mr Tim Davies
Senior Technician (Navigation & Maritime Science)
-
![Dr Asiya Khan Associate Dean for Education and Student Experience]( "Dr Asiya Khan")
Dr Asiya Khan
Associate Dean for Education and Student Experience
-
![Dr Andrew Manning Associate Professor in Coastal and Shelf Physical Oceanography]( "Dr Andrew Manning")
Dr Andrew Manning
Associate Professor in Coastal and Shelf Physical Oceanography
-
![Mr Alastair McCallien Lecturer in Navigation (Education)]( "Mr Alastair McCallien")
Mr Alastair McCallien
Lecturer in Navigation (Education)
-
![Dr Jahir Rizvi Lecturer in Mechanical & Marine Engineering]( "Dr Jahir Rizvi")
Dr Jahir Rizvi
Lecturer in Mechanical & Marine Engineering
-
![Professor Robert Sutton Emeritus Professor]( "Professor Robert Sutton")
Professor Robert Sutton
Emeritus Professor
MAterials and STructures (MAST) Research Group
The research carried out in this area covers many aspects of mechanics in materials and structures.
This includes structural integrity focusing on fatigue and fracture of materials, durability of marine reinforced concrete (RC) structures, multi-scale and multi-phase modelling of materials, and structural modelling using finite element analysis.
People
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![Dr Alexander Besinis Associate Professor in Mechanical and Medical Engineering]( "Dr Alexander Besinis")
Dr Alexander Besinis
Associate Professor in Mechanical and Medical Engineering
-
![Dr Shanshan Cheng Lecturer in Civil Engineering]( "Dr Shanshan Cheng")
Dr Shanshan Cheng
Lecturer in Civil Engineering
-
![Dr Colin Christopher Associate Professor in Mathematics]( "Dr Colin Christopher")
Dr Colin Christopher
Associate Professor in Mathematics
-
![Dr Alistair Cree Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Education)]( "Dr Alistair Cree")
Dr Alistair Cree
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Education)
-
![Dr Edward Ellis Lecturer in Civil Engineering (Education)]( "Dr Edward Ellis")
Dr Edward Ellis
Lecturer in Civil Engineering (Education)
-
![Dr Jasper Graham-Jones Associate Professor in Mechanical and Marine Engineering]( "Dr Jasper Graham-Jones")
Dr Jasper Graham-Jones
Associate Professor in Mechanical and Marine Engineering
-
![Professor Neil James Emeritus Professor]( "Professor Neil James")
Professor Neil James
Emeritus Professor
-
![Dr Boksun Kim Associate Professor of Structural Engineering]( "Dr Boksun Kim")
Dr Boksun Kim
Associate Professor of Structural Engineering
-
![Mr Adam Kyte Lecturer in Mechanical & Marine Engineering Design (Engineering)]( "Mr Adam Kyte")
Mr Adam Kyte
Lecturer in Mechanical & Marine Engineering Design (Engineering)
-
![Professor Long-yuan Li Professor of Structural Engineering]( "Professor Long-yuan Li")
Professor Long-yuan Li
Professor of Structural Engineering
-
![Dr Antony Robotham Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering]( "Dr Antony Robotham")
Dr Antony Robotham
Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering
-
![Dr Jahir Rizvi Lecturer in Mechanical & Marine Engineering]( "Dr Jahir Rizvi")
Dr Jahir Rizvi
Lecturer in Mechanical & Marine Engineering
-
![Professor John Summerscales Professor of Composites Engineering]( "Professor John Summerscales")
Professor John Summerscales
Professor of Composites Engineering
-
![Mr Tony Tapp Technical Specialist (Materials and Structures)]( "Mr Tony Tapp")
Mr Tony Tapp
Technical Specialist (Materials and Structures)
Meet our school technical staff
Our technical staff are integral to the delivery of all our programmes and bring a diverse range of expertise and skills to support students in laboratories and workshops.
Research degree candidates
Benjamin Bryant
Contaminates within Ultra Violet Polymers with reference to Additive Manufacturing
Director of studies:
Dr Jasper Graham-Jones
Contaminates within Ultra Violet Polymers with reference to Additive Manufacturing
Director of studies:
Casper Kruger
Effect of complex geometry on closed form FRP analytical methods, i.e., CLT, CBT, plate and shell deflection
Director of studies:
Dr Jasper Graham-Jones
Effect of complex geometry on closed form FRP analytical methods, i.e., CLT, CBT, plate and shell deflection
Director of studies:
Adam Kyte
Microarterial anastomosis in reconstructive surgery; a numerical study of the factors affecting anastomosis patency
Supervisor: Dr Richard Pemberton
Microarterial anastomosis in reconstructive surgery; a numerical study of the factors affecting anastomosis patency
Supervisor: Dr Richard Pemberton
Rabiu Mohammed Rabiu
Predictive Maintenance of a Liquefied Natural Gas liquefaction process unit
Director of studies: Dr Jian Wan
Predictive Maintenance of a Liquefied Natural Gas liquefaction process unit
Director of studies: Dr Jian Wan
Jihad Taha
Development of an ingrated approach for smart virtual factories based on Model Bases Systems Engineering and Cyber Phyxial Systems Approach
Director of studies: Professor Vahid Salehi (Munich Node)
Development of an ingrated approach for smart virtual factories based on Model Bases Systems Engineering and Cyber Phyxial Systems Approach
Director of studies: Professor Vahid Salehi (Munich Node)
Ulysse Vautier
Navigation, guidance and control of autonomous sailing boats with robustness for long duration missions
Director of studies: Dr Jian Wan
Navigation, guidance and control of autonomous sailing boats with robustness for long duration missions
Director of studies: Dr Jian Wan
Paul Arnold
Self-Sensing and Energy-Harvesting (SSEH) composite materials for coastal infrastructure
Director of studies:
Professor John Summerscales
Self-Sensing and Energy-Harvesting (SSEH) composite materials for coastal infrastructure
Director of studies:
Aissa Bouaissi
Development of a new concrete for marine environment using a high volume of industrial by-products
Director of studies:
Professor Long-yuan Li
Development of a new concrete for marine environment using a high volume of industrial by-products
Director of studies:
James Butler
Development of a novel antibacterial resin-based silver nanocoating to protect patients from bioaerosol infections in hospitals
Director of studies:
Dr Alexander Besinis
Development of a novel antibacterial resin-based silver nanocoating to protect patients from bioaerosol infections in hospitals
Director of studies:
Kunjie Fan
Fire performance assessment of concrete materials with supplemental cementitious materials
Directors of studies:
Professor Long-yuan Li
and Dave Easterbrook (Chinese Scholarship)
Fire performance assessment of concrete materials with supplemental cementitious materials
Directors of studies:
Jie Ji
Fatigue analysis of reinforced concrete in the marine environment
Director of studies:
Dr Shanshan Cheng
Fatigue analysis of reinforced concrete in the marine environment
Director of studies:
Matthew Prowse
Automation systems applied to traditional fishing methods used in boats to improve sustainability within ethical considerations and reduce fatalities and casualties
Director of studies:
Dr Jasper Graham-Jones
Automation systems applied to traditional fishing methods used in boats to improve sustainability within ethical considerations and reduce fatalities and casualties
Director of studies:
Simon Weait
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for extreme environment operations using heat-resistant ceramic-coated and sustainable Fused Deposition Modelled materials
Director of studies:
Dr Jasper Graham-Jones
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for extreme environment operations using heat-resistant ceramic-coated and sustainable Fused Deposition Modelled materials
Director of studies:
Nanting Yu
The buckling behaviour of cold-formed steel built-up channel beams with web perforations
Director of studies:
Dr Boksun Kim
The buckling behaviour of cold-formed steel built-up channel beams with web perforations
Director of studies:
Postgraduate research studentships
Do you need funding for a research degree?
If you cannot fund your own PhD research project then please look at the advertised studentships as they become available throughout the year. Please check the advert carefully to ensure you are eligible and what funding and support are available.
Funding for postgraduate research students
If you are considering starting a postgraduate research course, you could get help to pay for your course and living costs.
Doctoral College
Find out more about the Doctoral College and the support it offers students, supervisors and examiners of postgraduate research at the University of Plymouth.
