• Infrastructure Research Group
  
  
• Environment Research Group

The topics cover not only the traditional fields of civil engineering, but also environmental health, pollution studies, sustainable development, contaminant transport, environmental remediation, environmental forensics, environmental policy, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), environmental microbiology and international studies. Both research groups are involved in a number of international and national research training initiatives. Current examples are the EC-funded Marie Curie Research Training Networks, AMGISS coordinated by the Department, ALERT Geomaterials and Malawi Millennium project. Consequently, the Department offers research training in a truly international setting and most of the research students benefit directly from these links.

In addition to research training, MPhil and PhD programmes involve training in complementary skills, such as presentation, writing, computing etc. Furthermore, the research students can attend specialist classes, lectures and training courses across the university, as well as the Departmental Lunchtime Research Seminars. Each student is assigned with two supervisors and the typical duration of a PhD is three years and MPhil one year.

The Department has a diverse and dynamic community of more than 40 research students and assistants, representing over a dozen nationalities. It regularly attracts research studentships from industry, the Research Councils, the EC, charitable institutions and government departments. The Department is active in basic and applied research; the latter is supported by strong links with industry and public bodies. Facilities include modern laboratories with highly-trained personnel and sophisticated equipment.

The recently updated microbiological laboratory is provided with items to perform molecular analysis of microbial communities from engineered and natural systems. The facility has equipment to perform nucleic acid purifications, denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), gel visualization, quantitative PCR and DNA cloning. We are also supported by other services, such as DNA sequencing, which can be found nearby within the University.

Entry Requirements

Candidates with first or upper second class Honours degree (or international equivalent) in any discipline, who are able to formulate an innovative research proposal in consultation with their potential supervisors, are invited to apply the MPhil or PhD programmes. Previous research/industrial experience is not necessary, but advantageous.

How to Apply

If you are interested in the MPhil/PhD programme in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Strathclyde, you need to send:

• A completed application form (available here) and provide copies of your academic transcripts, as requested.
• References from two referees - Note that the referees must also fill the correct form (found here)
• An updated CV, including research/industry experience, and details of publications by the applicant (in pdf-format via email to: Lisa.Lyons@strath.ac.uk
• A brief synopsis (about one or two A4 pages) of a research proposal (with full references to relevant publications) in pdf-format via email to: Lisa.Lyons@strath.ac.uk.

Please have a look at the department's research pages here to identify which areas of research our staff are interested in.

The research proposal should clearly identify:

• The research question
• The relationship of the research question to other work in the field
• The proposed methodology and fieldwork, and the likely availability of information to be required
• An indicative timetable.

International Applicants also need to provide:

• A scanned copy of their passport
• A certificate of english language (IELTS or TOEFL preferred)
• A copy of your funding letter (if available)

Details about tuition fees and scholarships can be found here.

MRes - A One Year Research Degree:

Applicants interested in a research degree might consider doing a 1 year Master by Research (MRes) degree. On successful completion of the MRes research project it is possible for good quality researchers to transfer to the PhD Programme (i.e. the MRes would be equivalent to the first year of the PhD). An MRes is 33% Taught (60 credits of taught classes) and 67% Project (worth 120 credits).

Students can apply online at: http://pgr.strath.ac.uk to one of these degrees:

• MRes Geo-Environmental Engineering
• MRes Integrated Pollution Prevention & Control (IPPC)