A PhD is a three to four year research-intensive programme resulting in an original piece of research and thesis. Research in the Department covers a variety of areas and involves collaborations with several departments at Imperial, as well as leading national and international research institutions. Core research areas include biomechanics and mechanobiology, detection, devices, design, implants and regenerative medicine, molecular and cellular bioengineering, neural engineering and human and biological robotics. Please see further details below.

Our PhD students are encouraged to interact with researchers working in different areas and are commonly co-supervised by academics from other departments. Such interdisciplinary training fosters the intellectual capabilities and practical skills needed to cooperate with engineers, clinicians and scientists from a variety of academic backgrounds.

Based on the different groups that were forerunners of the department, the largest percentage of our PhD graduates has gone into Academia. This is not surprising since, until recently, we have been a primarily research-oriented department. However, an increasing number of our PhD graduates are now going into industry and R&D positions. Our graduates can be found in businesses, research organisations and health services around the world. They are also building their own start-ups. The sectors in which Bioengineers work include:

• Medical Technology Industry
• University Research Departments
• Medicine and Healthcare
• Business Start-Up
• General engineering
• Computing and Information Technology
• Finance and Professional Services
• Management Consultancy
• Teaching

Bioengineering’s potential to improve tomorrow’s world has made it one of the fastest growing fields in science and engineering, and number one for job growth prospects. The Department of Bioengineering offers opportunities to study at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.