Chemical Engineering

Entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent international qualification) in a relevant discipline.

If you can't find an advertised project that fits your interests and experience, you can submit your own research proposal to the Department of Chemical Engineering to find a supervisor who will work with you on your project. You can view our list of academic staff on our website or you can email us for guidance.

Your research proposal should be a maximum of 500 words and include the aims of your study, a brief literature review, an outline of the proposed research methods, and your preferred member of staff to supervise the project. Head over to our writing a research proposal page for more information.

You are strongly recommended to contact us before applying to discuss your topic, availability and funding.

Months of entry

January, April, July, October

Course content

Here in the Department of Chemical Engineering, multidisciplinary research addresses the current and future challenges for our society through engineering solutions. Whether it be fighting antimicrobial resistance, or helping to harvest greener energy, our research is helping to solve some of the most pressing issues facing the world today.

Our Department is a highly active, research-intensive community of around 75 academics, researchers and doctoral students, using our excellent research facilities and producing world-leading research outputs. We have a strong and growing research programme with world-class research activities and facilities, focusing on industry and society’s needs. For instance, we're looking at the commercial production of stem cells, disinfection of hospital wards, novel drug delivery methods, advanced fuel cells, green and sustainable hydrogen production, nanomaterials and electrocatalysis for electrochemical clean energy technologies, advanced water treatment, and continuous manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.

Benefiting from the expertise and considerable experience of our staff, our thriving community of postgraduate research students are provided with an intellectually challenging and rewarding experience during their time with us. We attract over £7 million of research income annually and have almost 50 PhD students working on projects of global importance.

We work closely with other university departments in multidisciplinary research, as well as with industry and with researchers in universities worldwide. Our research is split into several key themes, and in recognition of our cutting-edge research expertise, we have recently been selected as a lead partner in the EPSRC/MRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Regenerative Medicine.

We have an enterprising culture within the Department through our successful industrial collaborations, spin-out companies and knowledge transfer partnerships. We have close working relationships with major companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and process industries, including AstraZeneca, BP, British Sugar, Carlsberg, E.ON, Exxon, GlaxoSmithKline, PepsiCo and Unilever to name but a few.

As a research student in our department, you will have the opportunity to not only become an independent researcher but to also create a lasting network of peers. You will be assigned a supervisory team who, together with the Director of Doctoral programmes, will provide strong academic and pastoral support. Training and departmental seminars will help you to develop your skills and you will be expected to present your own research papers. You will also be provided with your own desk and computer in a shared departmental office with access to library, IT and state of the art laboratory facilities.

We have recently refurbished our entire building and all of our new research laboratories are now fully operational. These include themed laboratories for the following areas:

• energy and environment (two laboratories)
• formulation (four laboratories for formulation, particles, powders, fluids)
• crystallisation
• analysis
• a new floor containing a suite of four bio-themed laboratories

Information for international students

Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website.

Fees and funding

Please see our website for a list of research degree funding and scholarships.