The Department of Mechanical Engineering has over 40 members of academic staff, 60 research staff and 100 research students working towards an MPhil or PhD. We are one of the top ranked mechanical engineering departments worldwide and have achieved the highest possible rating in successive Research Assessment Exercises. In the recent Research Assessment Exercise 2008, held by the UK Government, we were the top-rated Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Research activities in Mechanical Engineering are split into three divisions:
The mission of the department is to conduct world-class research and to respond to changing global requirements by developing new technologies and their application to the solution of practical problems. Our research activities stem from a strong base of fundamental engineering research that provides the foundation for practical applications in energy, transport, defence and health care sectors. The department also seeks to ensure that the resulting research developments impact upon undergraduate teaching so that taught courses remain stimulating and relevant.
We have well-equipped experimental and computational facilities that, combined with our ability to derive synergy from combined theoretical and experimental studies, create our research platform. The observation that science, engineering and medicine are no longer delineated forms the basis for our future development and we anticipate that increasingly rapid changes in technical requirements will lead further towards our multi-disciplinary science-based approach.
The department receives sponsorship from major businesses and organisations (see individual research group pages) and our research activities have led to a number of patents and spin-out companies under the IC Innovations programme.
Research Facilities
- Combustion and Reacting Flow Laboratory
- Computational Combustion and Reacting Flow Modelling
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Creep and Fatigue Laboratories
- Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
- Impact and Meterology
- Materials Testing
- Optical and Electron Microscopy
- Propulsion Laboratory
Direct PhD registration now in the Department
Please note: With effect from 1st October 2010 Mechanical Engineering Research Students will no longer register initially as MPhil/PhD students. Students will register directly onto the PhD programme.
Departmental contacts
Director of Research: Professor Peter Lindstedt
Deputy Director of Research: Dr Daniele Dini
Research Secretary: Mrs Melanie O'Brien
