Mathematics represents one of the supreme achievements of the human mind. The subject has fascinated thinkers throughout the ages, from the ancient civilisations of five thousand years ago to those of the present day. It is an evolving, living discipline; the boundaries of mathematics have expanded way beyond the geometry and number theory of the Greeks and the algebra of the early Indians and of Islam. Mathematics was called "the Queen of the Sciences" by one of its greatest practitioners, C F Gauss.

The Department of Mathematics at Aberystwyth offers facilities for students to read for PhD and MPhil degrees by research. Some possible ideas for Mathematics PhD projects are available.

Overview

Why undertake a PhD with the Department of Mathematics at Aberystwyth University?

Aberystwyth University has a proud tradition of research excellence, as demonstrated in the most recent Research Excellence Framework assessment (REF 2014), which placed the university in the top 50 institutions for research power and intensity.

The Department of Mathematics submitted almost 90% of our staff to REF2014, the highest proportion of any Welsh mathematics department. Results show that 1 in 8 of our research outputs are world leading, and more than 60% are either world leading or internationally excellent. All of our research and the impact it has outside universities was judged to be of an international standard.

We have a dedicated Physical Sciences library on campus that houses excellent research material for the study of mathematics, physics and computer science, including the Scott Blair Collection, a comprehensive and important resource for the study of rheology.

Mathematical Modelling of Structures, Solids and Fluids: this group covers diverse problems in solid and fluid mechanics and mathematical analysis.
Quantum Structures, Information and Control: this group works in the area of quantum systems in interaction with their environment, and in particular the emergent field of quantum computing and information.
Statistics: this group’s interests include the application of statistical shape analysis to biological data sets and the statistical analysis of high-dimensional biological data sets.

Researchers in all groups are involved in wider collaborations, both within the university and beyond.

Employability

Our PhD students have gone on to a variety of research posts, academic positions, teaching, and industry.