Sustainable Energy PhD

By pursuing our PhD in Sustainable Energy, you will join the School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences and work with leading academics and researchers who will support you to broaden your understanding of the issues and solutions for sustainable and resilient energy and develop your professional practice. In recent years, many modern energy systems based on renewable energy sources and high energy efficiency have been proposed to support reliable, affordable, and clean energy production. Our PhD programme will allow you to undertake in-depth research into new energy generation technologies and the complex issues facing low-carbon energy systems and technologies such as: • Offshore wind turbines • Green hydrogen production and refuelling infrastructure • Thermal energy technologies (e.g., heat-mechanical energy conversion), as well as the related environmental and safety issues. Along with net zero commitments, maintaining the ’always-on’ status of energy systems (i.e., their resilience) is of utmost importance for governmental bodies and the private sector. The scope of ‘energy resilience’ as an area of multidisciplinary research requires diverse skills from various engineering and physical sciences disciplines such as: • Design • Material selection • Energy conversion and storage • Thermodynamic and heat transfer • Structural integrity • Maintenance and repair, together with state-of-the-art sensors and instruments • Artificial intelligence algorithms • Digital twin technologies for energy control and monitoring systems. Our mission is to foster, promote and conduct research of international quality. We attract high-quality graduates and researchers and train them to international standards. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, the University of Surrey ranks 15th in the UK for research power for engineering and top 20 in the UK for the overall quality of research outputs (research papers and other published works).

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