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Postgraduate opportunities in applied mathematics

You will join an applied mathematics group that has been ranked third in the UK by the The Times Higher Education Supplement, based on the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

We have active research groups in: dynamical systems and statistical mechanics, mathematical physics (quantum chaos, random matrix theory, quantum information, condensed-matter theory), fluid dynamics (complex fluids, experimental mathematics, turbulence, waves, granular flows), materials science, and scientific computing. All these groups run active seminars and are keen to take on postgraduate students. Potential Ph.D. projects within these groups can be found in the Applied Postgraduate Handbook (pdf) and in the list below.

The Department has collaborative research programmes with a number of other Departments, including Engineering Mathematics, Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Earth Sciences and Physics. It is also involved with a University Research Centre in Environmental and Geophysical Flows.

The Mathematics Department is involved in a new Doctoral Training Centre, the Bristol Centre for Complexity Sciences. Funded by a multi-million pound grant from the Engineering Physical Sciences Research Council, the centre is recruiting 10-15 students a year into a multidisciplinary Ph.D. programme which involves Applied Mathematics and Statistics in partnership with Engineering Mathematics and Computer Science. Funding is for four years, the first year being based around taught courses. These studentships exist in addition to the departmental Ph.D. programme.

Bristol University has joined up with Oxford, Warwick, Imperial College and Bath to become a Taught Course Centre. The aim is to provide a comprehensive range of introductory post-graduate courses, including courses in applied mathematics.




Postgraduate Research Projects

PDF document icon
Applied mathematics postgraduate booklet

Full details of research topics with each member of the academic staff of the Applied Mathematics group.


You may also wish to check our list of job advertisements for project-specific vacancies.


Online descriptions for some postgraduate projects in the Applied Group are listed below. This list is less exhaustive than the one in the handbook, so we recommend consulting the handbook as well.

The list is searchable by theme:



The list is searchable by supervisor:


Motility and Forces in cells

Theme: Materials Science
Supervisor: Isaac Chenchiah
Cooperative behaviour in multi-phase materials

Theme: Materials Science
Supervisor: Isaac Chenchiah
Phase transitions in Bacteriophage T4

Theme: Materials Science
Supervisor: Isaac Chenchiah
Percolation in elastic media

Theme: Materials Science
Supervisor: Isaac Chenchiah
Wireless communication networks

Theme: Complex Systems
Supervisor: Carl Dettmann
Open dynamical systems

Theme: Dynamical Systems & Statistical Mechanics
Supervisor: Carl Dettmann
Anomalous diffusion

Theme: Dynamical Systems & Statistical Mechanics
Supervisor: Carl Dettmann
Evaporating drops

Theme: Fluid Dynamics
Supervisor: Jens Eggers
Making the smallest jet

Theme: Fluid Dynamics
Supervisor: Jens Eggers
Mud and debris flows

Theme: Fluid Dynamics
Supervisor: Andrew Hogg
Quantum chaos

Theme: Quantum Chaos
Supervisor: Jon Keating, FRS
Random matrix theory

Theme: Random Matrix
Supervisor: Jon Keating, FRS
Semiclassical asymptotics

Theme: Quantum Chaos
Supervisor: Jon Keating, FRS
Various topics in turbulence and transition

Theme: Fluid Dynamics
Supervisor: Rich Kerswell, FRS
Convection-enhanced delivery (with R. D. Deegan and A. J. Hogg)

Theme: Fluid Dynamics
Supervisor: Rich Kerswell, FRS
Quantum Information and computation

Theme: Quantum Information
Supervisor: Noah Linden
Theoretical Physics of Soft Active Matter

Theme: Materials Science
Supervisor: Tanniemola Liverpool
Quantum maps

Theme: Quantum Chaos
Supervisor: Jens Marklof
Asymptotic properties of spectra and eigenfunctions of quantum chaotic systems

Theme: Quantum Chaos
Supervisor: Francesco Mezzadri
Random matrix theory and critical phenomena in spin models

Theme: Random Matrix
Supervisor: Francesco Mezzadri
Methods for focussing and capturing wave energy

Theme: Fluid Dynamics
Supervisor: Richard Porter
Waves in ice sheets and elastic plates

Theme: Fluid Dynamics
Supervisor: Richard Porter
Large array scattering

Theme: Fluid Dynamics
Supervisor: Richard Porter
Random matrix theory and number theory

Theme: Random Matrix
Supervisor: Nina Snaith


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