Automotive Engineering PhD

Studying for a PhD in automotive engineering at the University of Surrey means being part of a multidisciplinary environment, where doctoral students come together to work on applied engineering research topics with a direct impact on society. You will spend a lot of time in our Centre for Automotive Engineering (CAE), which provides world-class technical research for vehicle analysis. This includes all electric and hybrid powertrains, autonomous vehicles, vehicle dynamics simulation, tyre dynamics simulation, design and simulation of vehicle subsystems (brakes, steering, suspension, chassis control systems design), design of experimental test benches, lightweight chassis design and vehicle aerodynamics. Our researchers also regularly collaborate with key players in industry, including Rolls-Royce, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Jaguar Land Rover. We are also host to the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre in Thermo-Fluid Systems. The University of Surrey ranked 15th in the UK for research power for engineering in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. We are now also ranked in the top 20 in the UK for the overall quality of research outputs – research papers and other published works.

Applicants are expected to hold a first or upper second-class (2:1) UK degree in a relevant discipline (or equivalent overseas qualification), or a lower-second (2:2) UK degree plus a good UK masters degree - distinction normally required (or equivalent overseas qualification).