Our research
Overarching research themes
Our organisational structure connects our research with our study programmes to ensure quality research-led teaching.
We have four disciplines shaping our framework, they are:
- Civil and Environmental
- Electrical and Electronic
- Mechanical, Materials and Process
- Systems and Information
Discipline streams
Civil and Environmental
Our Civil and Environmental researchers work on a broad range of global research challenges underpinning civil engineering.
Combining modelling with practical experimentation, they tackle issues such as:
- Low carbon structures and structures using high-performance materials.
- Structural dynamics and structural health monitoring
- Vibration serviceability
- Human interaction with structures
- Resilient infrastructure to Climate Change
- Environmental Pollution
- Sustainable ground improvement material and techniques
- Geohazards prediction and mitigation
- Offshore geotechnics
- Tunnelling and underground space
Key specialisms within the Civil and Environmental Engineering stream include Water and Environmental Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Geotechnical Engineering.
Electrical and Electronic
The Electrical and Electronic Engineering research group covers a range of Power, sustainability, and improved communications at the heart of our Electrical and Electronic stream.
Key areas of research include:
- Artificial olfaction (or 'electronic nose')
- Electrical energy conversion
- Grid-scale energy storage
- Nanoscale communications
- Quantum devices
Key specialisms include Communications, Electrical Power and Sensors and Devices.
Mechanical, Materials and Process
Our Mechanical, Materials and Process Engineering discipline is our largest and most diverse stream. The stream has research groups in the fields of:
- Chemical engineering
- Fluid mechanics
- Materials
- Measurement
- Sustainable thermal energy technologies
Current research interests include: efficient production of green chemicals and low carbon fuels; investigating flow dynamics from the nanoscale to global environmental systems; atomic scale modelling of materials to improve their functional properties; experimental materials science for applications including silicon photovoltaic solar cells, terahertz imaging, optoelectronic devices based on 2D materials, sensing, and photoelectrochemical water splitting; developing methods of precision measurement for automotive, aerospace, bioengineering, healthcare applications; developing new technology for sustainable energy systems such as solar collectors, heat pumps and thermal storage.
Systems and Information
The Systems and Information research group bring together expertise in:
- Nonlinear and stochastic systems
- Modelling of human activity
- Biomedical Systems Modelling and Data Analytics
- Neural engineering
- Telemedicine
- Imaging
- Synthetic biology
Much of the research undertaken is around health and security and the nature of the work means that many labs are cross-group. Key specialisms include Biomedical and Biological Systems, Data Analytics and Systems Modelling and Control.
Explore our research areas on our Engineering web pages.Link opens in a new window
