The PhD programme offers flexible supervision between The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China (UNNC) and The University of Nottingham, UK. Depending on the proposed research, students may be required to spend part of their studies at The University of Nottingham, UK. Still, students will be registered at UNNC, and graduates will be awarded a University of Nottingham, UK degree which is also recognised by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

PhD programmes in the FoSE

• Built Environment 
• Project Management 
• Chemical Engineering 
• Environmental Engineering 
• Civil Engineering 
• Computer Science & Operations Research 
• Computational Intelligence in Transport 
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering 
• Renewable Energy Technologies 
• Geographic Science
• Applied Mathematics 
• Manufacturing Engineering 
• Mechanical Engineering 
• Sustainable Manufacturing 
• Sustainable Energy Technologies 
• Sustainable Building Technology 
• Aerospace Engineering

For any general enquiries about the FoSE PhD programmes, please contact:

PGR@nottingham.edu.cn

FOSE_Research@nottingham.edu.cn

Architecture and Built Environment

• Net-zero buildings and integrated energy systems: high-performance and climate-responsive buildings, building performance simulation and monitoring, AI-enabled modelling, control and optimisation, HVAC, adaptive façade, renewable and integrated energy systems.
• Human-centred built environment: indoor and outdoor thermal comfort, visual and acoustic comfort, occupant behaviour, human–building interaction.
• Digital architecture and computational methods: computational and generative design, building information modelling and digital twins, building prototyping, emerging digital techniques for design and building operation.
• Urban sustainability: low-carbon urban development, climate adaptation and resilience, urban regeneration.
• Architectural design, history and digital heritage: design-led and practice-based research, architectural history and theory, modernism, digital heritage preservation

 Chemical and Environmental Engineering

• Advanced Materials
• Biomass & Biochemical Engineering
• Catalytic Science & Technology
• Chemical Conversion (Thermochemical, Electrochemical & Photochemical)
• Energy Engineering
• Environmental Engineering & Geotechnology
• Process Intensification
• Renewable & Clean Energy
• Our work focuses on eight key domains:
• Air Quality and Pollution Control
• Aquatic Resource and Soil Management
• Carbon Neutral Practices & Technologies
• Green Construction Materials
• Natural Medicine Resources
• Solid Waste Recycling/Treatment/Management
• Urban Climate Change
• Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment

Civil Engineering

• Structural and Earthquake Engineering,
• Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering,
• Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering,
• Construction Engineering and Management,
• Transportation and Highway Engineering,
• Engineering Survey and Remote Sensing,
• Construction and Building Materials,
• Infrastructure Engineering.

 Computer Science

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

• AI for Science
• Autonomous Agents and Multi-agent Systems
• Computational Intelligence
• Data Mining
• Fuzzy Logic
• Game AI
• Knowledge Representation and Reasoning
• Machine Learning
• Optimization
• Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

2. Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing

• Computer Vision
• Image Processing
• Medical Image Analysis
• Multimodal Learning
• Natural Language Processing
• Vision-Language Models
• Visual Understanding and Reasoning

3. Human-Centred Computing and Intelligent Sensing

• Human-AI Interaction
• Mixed/Virtual/Augmented Reality
• Smart Sensing and Embedded Systems

4. Intelligent Computing and Systems

• Circuits and Systems
• Embedded AI and Edge Computing
• Fintech
• Parallel and Distributed Computing
• Smart Home/City and Internet of Things
• Smart Hospital and Health Informatics
• Smart Transportation and Logistics

5. Software, Networks and Security

• Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies
• Embodied Intelligence and Physical AI
• Networking and Communications
• Security and Privacy
• Software Engineering and Software Testing
• Theoretical Computing and Reasoning

  Electrical and Electronic Engineering

1. Electrical Machines and Drive Systems

• High-performance Electrical machines design and optimization
• Motor drive systems and advanced control strategies
• Thermal management and condition monitoring
• Transportation electrification

2. Power Electronics and Energy Systems

• Power electronic converters and integration
• DC DC Power supply technologies
• Grid-following and grid-forming inverters
• Wide-bandgap power electronic devices
• Energy systems

3. Wireless Communications, Networking, and Electromagnetics

• 5G/6G mobile, vehicular communications
• Internet of Things (IoT), RF sensing, and localisation
• Channel modelling, modulation, coding, and MIMO systems
• Beamforming, mmWave, terahertz, microwave, and high-frequency circuits
• Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) and AI/Machine Learning for wireless systems
• Physical layer security, Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)
• Blockchain, trust management, and secure C-V2X
• Antennas, phased array systems, radar, and satellite communications

4. Biomedical Engineering and Medical Imaging

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies
• Hyperpolarized noble-gas MRI
• Medical imaging and signal processing
• Advanced diagnostic medical equipment

5. Sensors, Materials, and Emerging Electronics

• Biosensors, plasmonic and optical sensors
• Smart sensors and electronic materials science
• Analogue and neuromorphic electronics
• Flexible and wearable sensing technologies
• Blood pressure and heartbeat detection algorithms
• Real-time physiological monitoring systems

  Geographical Sciences 

• Climate change risk mitigation and adaptation
• Glaciation and geomorphology
• Paleo-climatic and historical environmental change
• Catchment hydrology, hydrological modelling and management
• Geo-spatial and Geo-statistical analyses
• Urban environmental and water management
• Sustainable water management and sponge city
• Nature-Based Solutions and Green Infrastructure
• Plastics pollution control, including microplastics

  Mathematical Sciences

• Actuarial Risk Theory and Stochastic Dependence
• Bioengineering Modelling of Systems Biology and Drug Discovery
• Calculus of Variations of PDEs and Orbital Stability
• Computational/Mathematical Modelling of Clinical Medicine
• Financial Mathematics
• Mathematical Analysis and Modeling of Nonlinear PDEs
• Mathematical/Statistical Modelling Environmental Ecology and Epidemiology
• Mathematical Physics
• Optimization Methods for Sparse and High-Dimensional Problems
• Scientific Computing and Mathematical Modeling in Biophysics
• Stochastic differential equations and their numerical analysis
• Topological Combinatorics

 Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering

1. Manufacturing & Materials (MM)

• High‑performance and non‑conventional machining
• Additive and digital manufacturing
• Manufacturing process modelling and optimisation
• Automation, tooling, fixtures, and CNC systems
• Automation of manufacturing processes
• Composite materials and multifunctional composites
• Surface engineering, advanced metal alloys, and thermal spray coatings
• Micro/nano particle synthesis and functional materials
• Sustainable and recyclable materials

2. Dynamics, Control and Robotics (DCR)

• Machine dynamics and vehicle NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness)
• Acoustics and noise control
• UAVs and flight dynamics
• Robotic dynamics and intelligent sensing
• Control theory and dynamical systems
• Dynamics, vibration control, and nonlinear dynamic systems
• Vibration‑based energy harvesting

3. Product Design & Ergonomics (PDE)

• Machine design
• User‑centred and human‑centred design
• Human–computer interaction
• Human factors
• Product and service innovation
• Design for intelligent transportation systems

4. Solid Mechanics and Structures (SMS)

• Aerospace structures and lightweight configurations
• Vehicle structures and design
• Fatigue and fracture of composite materials and structures
• Structural mechanics, integrity, and analysis
• Mechanical system modelling and multiphysics simulation
• Multi-disciplinary design optimization (MDO)

5. Fluid Mechanics and Thermofluids Group (FMT)

• Heat transfer, thermal management, and thermal systems
• Multi‑component and multiphase flows
• Transport phenomena at micro‑ and nano‑scale
• Energy materials and reaction engineering
• Propulsion systems, turbomachinery, aerodynamics, and flow behaviour

To be considered for admission to a postgraduate research programme, applicants should have met both the minimum academic and English language requirements.

You should be aware that some other factors are also important for your application.

The following will be considered when making an offer:

• Academic performance during the undergraduate and postgraduate study
• Research papers published in international academic journals
• Quality of the research proposal
• Research potential and attitude
• English proficiency

Click here to check the entry requirements in detail.

Key dates

2026-27 Academic year (for self-funded applicants)

How to apply

We welcome qualifying applications all year round. You may consider either a Spring or Autumn entry that better suits your study plan. To ensure you will be able to register on your desired date, please submit your application at least 3 months in advance. If you are applying for a PhD scholarship, please refer to each scholarship's deadline.

Click here to check your application procedure.

If you want to apply for a PhD program in Faculty of Science and Engineering, please refer to Graduate School's website for more information.