School of Process, Environmental and Materials Engineering

Our research addresses industrial, commercial and societal needs in two main areas - energy, transport (both ground and air) and the environment and in speciality materials, including health, IT products and personal care.

This work is carried out in three institutes and our doctoral training centre:

Energy and Resources Research Institute
Research into: Sustainable use of fossil fuels; Combustion, fire & explosion; Future fuels such as biomass, waste, hydrogen, fuel cells; environmental impact of energy utilisation; Sustainable use of natural resources.

PhD research topics range from sustainable energy and future fuels, sustainable resource management, conventional and novel combustion processes, pollution monitoring and refinement, to developing biomass and waste resources and processes for tomorrow's technologies.

Institute for Materials Research
Research into: Carbon Materials; Ferroelectric & Photonic Materials; Ferrous Metallurgy; Rapid solidification; Nanoscale characterization.

PhD research topics cover a wide-range of advanced inorganic and metallic materials, with a specific focus on functional materials (electro-ceramic, carbon, fibre optic and photonic materials) and structural materials (steel, carbon and refractories) together with characterisation using electron optics and modelling of materials structure and processes.

Institute of Particle Science and Engineering
Research in Chemical Mineral and Process Engineering including: Colloid and Interfacial Engineering; Multiscale and Systems Modelling; Pharmaceutical and Fine Chemicals Processing; Mineral and Waste Processing; Powder and Formulation Engineering; In-Process Measurement and Control.

PhD research topics are involved with modelling, measurement and manufacture to address colloid and interfacial engineering, multi-scale and systems modelling, pharmaceutical and fine chemicals processing, mineral and waste processing, powder and formulation engineering, in-process measurement and control of process systems and novel technology for process imaging and sensing.

Doctoral Training Centre in Low Carbon Technologies

Download a copy of our research brochure.