Fully-funded doctoral research positions available in mathematical sciences and its applications.
We provide a four-year PhD programme, including an initial training phase. PhD projects can tackle challenges across the statistical applied mathematics remit from asymptotic fluid dynamics and exploring Brownian motion to interrogating data on mental health diagnoses and modelling cancer treatments. The training phase will add depth and breadth of knowledge across applied maths and statistics and instil graduates with an interdisciplinary, industrial and international outlook.
You'll be part of a cohort of PhD students working at the interface of statistics with applied and computational mathematics, delivering high quality applied and applicable research. You will develop a broad range of mathematical, computational and statistical skills, and collaborate with industry, government and applied sciences. You'll bring a new mathematical mindset to their challenges.
You can either pursue a PhD project co-designed with one of SAMBa's partners, or a project formulated with an academic supervisor. Whether you choose your project before joining SAMBa or not, a series of courses and opportunities during the first 9 months of the programme will enable you to explore ideas and scope your future research in collaboration with academic staff and partner organisations. All students will work intensively on PhD research after the initial training phase.
Our fully-funded 4-year studentships cover university fees, payment of a tax-free stipend, all SAMBa activities, a budget to support your research development, office space, and computing facilities.
Throughout your training there will be a wide range of activities to complement your PhD, such as conference and workshop participation, placement and secondment opportunities, and industrial and international collaboration.
SAMBa graduates move on to a variety of academic and industrial research positions, as well as government organisations. As a graduate, you'll be well set up for a career in academia, industry, or elsewhere, ready to tackle emerging challenges with big models and big data.
SAMBa is designed around a four-year full-time programme of study, starting in October each year. An 8-year part-time option is also available.
You can choose to pursue a pre-determined PhD project, co-designed, co-funded and co-supervised with partners outside of the maths department. If you are interested in one of these, please indicate this when you make your application (Apply to SAMBa).
Alternatively, you can formulate your project with an academic supervisor during the training phase. SAMBa currently has a vibrant cohort of 85 students carrying out research in areas including:
The first nine months (2 semesters) of the SAMBa PhD comprises a choice of taught units, compulsory training in machine learning, exploratory research projects, student led symposia and Integrative Think Tanks. You will need to achieve at least an average of 60% in the initial training phase to progress to the PhD stage.
Occasionally we make changes to our programmes in response to, for example, feedback from students or developments in research. You will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.
You’ll complete an individually tailored programme of taught units drawn from three streams: numerical methods and scientific computation, statistics, and applied probabilistic modelling. All students will undertake training in machine learning. The choice of units in each in stream will be guided by SAMBa and your own interests.
More detail on available units can be found in the University’s Programme and Unit Catalogue.
You’ll work in small groups to plan and deliver an extended research project, working across different disciplines within the statistical applied mathematics remit.
Examples of previous projects:
The student-led symposia will run continuously through the taught phase. You’ll be deciding on topics and reading group activities, as well as inviting speakers to give seminars or short courses from a self-managed budget. Topics will often relate to upcoming Integrative Think Tanks. There will be support from SAMBa leaders and students from the years above you.
ITTs are facilitated, week-long, off-campus workshops involving around 80 participants. They include postgraduate students, academics from mathematical sciences, application-focused researchers, and collaborators from around the world. You will be presented with high-level challenges from non-mathematical partners. You’ll be working in small groups to formulate these challenges into mathematical problems.
To find out more visit our ITT page:
You will identify a project area in consultation with the SAMBa team and project supervisor(s), linking with an industrial partner where appropriate. You’ll develop core research skills in planning and undertaking a research project, including identifying research directions based on relevant literature in the topic area, forming appropriate project timelines and objectives, and designing research tasks to evaluate the identified research directions. You will also develop skills in disseminating project outcomes.
Visit our staff pages to find out more about potential supervisors:
You’ll start the PhD stage at the end of semester two and complete either a research scoping project or an industrial research internship over the summer. At the start of year 2, you will present your progress at a PhD Transfer Day and submit a PhD candidature form, describing the proposed research project.
In years 2-4, you’ll focus on research and the preparation of your thesis. In addition to working on your thesis topic with your supervisor and industrial partner where appropriate, you will meet twice a year with an advisor from the SAMBa team to discuss your progress and training needs. Together you will identify development opportunities for enhancing skills in collaborative working and leadership. Examples might include mentoring first-year students in group projects, supporting conference or workshop organisation, discussing internship opportunities, attending overseas ITTs, or contributing to outreach activities. You will carry out at least two substantial development activities in years 2–4 and attend two further ITTs, taking on a mentorship role.
Your PhD thesis should be submitted within four years of joining SAMBa but this may be extended if you need to suspend your studies for any reason.
During the initial training phase, students complete taught units that are assessed using coursework and examinations (both oral and written). Students are required to reach a pass mark of 60% in order to progress onto their research phase.
During the PhD phase, students carry out supervised research in their chosen subject which must then be written up as a substantial thesis. The confirmation of the PhD programme is subject to students passing an assessment process, which normally involves submission of written work and an oral examination. This usually takes place 12 months after the start of the research phase.
The final stage of the PhD is submission of the thesis and the oral or viva voce examination, in which students are required to defend the thesis to a Board of Examiners.
