Resource Efficient Future Cities

Entry requirements

The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1).

An interview will be required as part of the admissions process and will be conducted by at least two academic staff members remotely via MS Teams, Zoom, or face to face.

Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement and a research statement.
Please contact your proposed supervisor, where possible, to receive feedback and guidance on your research statement before submitting it.

Months of entry

January, April, October

Course content

The Resource Efficient Future Cities has current strengths in two streams of research:

• energy use efficiency focuses on end-use energy demand by buildings and urban areas and its interactions with users
• sustainable environmental development of buildings focuses on the theme of materials and construction methods.

We have substantial expertise in energy efficiency in buildings including natural ventilation and low energy cooling technologies, optimum integration of renewable and passive systems with active mechanical systems, the energy demand of urban buildings and mitigation/adaptation strategies, the use of natural, recyclable and smart materials in building construction and holistic approaches to sustainable development and infrastructure management. Investigations are carried out through a combination of field measurements and laboratory experimentation with the use of in-house and commercial software.

Find out about the exciting research we do: browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We’ve also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.

Information for international students

English language requirements

• IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
• Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
• BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
• TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all)

Fees and funding

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. Recently the UK Government made available the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.