School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics – our research

Find out about our research at the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics
Engineering Getty

Our research

The School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics is a collaborative and interdisciplinary community of world-leading academics and researchers focused upon the creation of knowledge and innovative solutions that have a positive impact upon society. Aligned to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the school is home to an extensive portfolio of research from Offshore Renewable Energy , coastal engineering and robotics to cybersecurity , artificial intelligence, and data science.
A community of over 100 staff and 150 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers, alongside world-leading facilities, provides a vibrant environment to engage with a wide range of academic, industrial and commercial partners.
The school hosts the Marine Building , home to the world-class Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport (COAST) Laboratory , amongst many other facilities including autonomous and robotic systems , the Wolfson Nanomaterial’s clean room, a cybersecurity range and a High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster that provides the computational capacity to perform much of the Big Data research .
Research
Please find more information about our research areas, facilities and staff below.
If you want to get a taste of studying in the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, or if you want to know more about our courses or staff, then follow us on Twitter or visit our Facebook site.

Our research groups

Postgraduate research areas

Under each area, we offer a flavour of potential topics for your own research project. While this is generally where our world-leading research expertise lies, it is by no means a complete list.
You are encouraged to contact potential supervisors in your proposed area of study at the earliest stage in your application process. If you are unsure who to contact, please email one of our advisers at doctoralcollege@plymouth.ac.uk.
We are happy to discuss all of the potential research opportunities open to you.
Read more about our postgraduate research areas
SRRDG explore the programme Plymouth Hoe
Raspberry harvesting robot
Spinout completes initial field trials of raspberry harvesting robot system
Sunset Offshore Wind Turbine in a Wind farm under construction of England coast, UK. Image courtesy of Getty Images.  
Consortium awarded extra funding to create £9 million offshore renewables hub
During the dive, the AUV vehicle is flying 3 meters high over the seabed at 2.2 knots (roughly 4 km per hours) and takes an image every second
Study explores the use of robots and artificial intelligence to understand the deep-sea
Computing At School 2018 Regional Conference

People in research

Meet the research team who bring their own specialist knowledge and unique skills to the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics.

Collaborate with us

Enterprise Solutions helps you to navigate your way to the University of Plymouth’s internationally renowned research expertise , facilities and business services . It connects you to the right support that meets your organisation’s needs. The University works with hundreds of organisations, both large and small, to find innovative solutions to the challenges they face. This could involve joint research and development projects, access to our innovation centres or science park or accessing student talent or academic expertise.
Learn how your business can benefit from connecting and collaborating with the University of Plymouth
Dementia-friendly technology workshopProf Ray Jones The event will bring people with dementia and their carers, health and social care professionals, and students, academics (from health, engineering and robotics) to discuss how technology can have a positive impact on the lives of people with dementia.
Engineering labs, Plymouth

Plymouth top UK university for Marine and Ocean Engineering

The University of Plymouth has been named eighth in the world – and best in the UK – for the quality and impact of its engineering research (ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2019).
“This result is a fantastic recognition of our engineering expertise. It demonstrates we are truly leading the world in this field and that our academics are pushing boundaries and driving innovation across various engineering disciplines. Our current projects and new facility will continue to place Plymouth as one of the best universities in the world to pursue engineering studies and research.”
Professor Deborah Greaves OBE FREng , Head of the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics.