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School of Mathematical Sciences

PhD projects

The School of Mathematical Sciences invites applications for the PhD projects listed for each Research Centre (CeCANT, CS, GAnG, PSD)

Each project includes information on eligible funding applicants, expected start dates, and submission deadlines. Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and funding opportunities may be filled before the listed deadlines. 

The School also welcome applications year-round from students with alternative sources of funding, such as self-funding, Doctoral Loans, Commonwealth scholarships, or other funding options. If you are considering a PhD using funding not listed below, we encourage you to contact the relevant academic to discuss potential projects.

Visit our School Research Centres to check ongoing Research interests in our school.

Read more on the Fees and Funding

 

CeCANT - Combinatorics, Algebra & Number Theory

The Centre for Combinatorics, Algebra and Number Theory (CeCANT) encompasses a broad spectrum of research with a long and distinguished history at Queen Mary. CeCANT includes over 20 academic staff in the School of Mathematical Sciences (SMS). The centre includes a vibrant community of PhD students, fully embedded in our research culture, and has strong research connections with other centres in SMS and beyond.

The Centre also welcomes applications year-round from students with alternative sources of funding, such as self-funding, Doctoral Loans, Commonwealth scholarships, or other funding options.  Contact the relevant academic to discuss projects alternatively if you are considering a PhD using funding not listed below, we encourage you to contact the relevant academic to discuss potential projects.

 

Project

The Project is eligible for:

Cell complexes and resolutions from tropical cycles

Supervisor: Prof Alex Fink

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Zeros of Graph Polynomials and Computational Phase transitions
Supervisor: Dr Viresh Patel

- EPSRC (Principal): apply by 29th Jan25 – start date expected before 1st May 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26 - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Chern classes of tropical manifolds
Supervisor: Dr Felipe Rincón

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Number Theory, automorphic forms and representations, L-functions

Supervisor: Prof Abhishek Saha

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

 

CS-Complex Systems

The Centre for Complex Systems is one of the largest in the UK working on statistical mechanics aspects of dynamical systems and stochastic systems, and on complex systems and complex networks.

The Centre has a broad range of research interests in mathematical foundations of dynamical systems theory, in statistical physics and stochastic modelling methods as applied to non-equilibrium situations, and in the mathematical description and modelling of the architecture and dynamics of complex systems and networks. A significant part of the research work has applications in an interdisciplinary context.

The Centre also welcomes applications year-round from students with alternative sources of funding, such as self-funding, Doctoral Loans, Commonwealth scholarships, or other funding options. Contact the relevant academic to discuss projects alternatively if you are considering a PhD using funding not listed below, we encourage you to contact the relevant academic to discuss potential projects.

 

Project

The Project is eligible for:

Dynamic Mode Decomposition for Chaotic Dynamical Systems

Supervisor: Dr Oscar Bandtlow

 

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Generative AI modelling with jump-diffusions

Supervisor: Dr Adrian Baule

 

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Stochastic modelling of frequency fluctuations in power grids of the future
Supervisor: Prof Christian Beck

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

--S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

The dynamics of higher-order networks

Supervisor: Prof Ginestra Bianconi

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

--S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Modelling stochastic processes in cancer evolution and healthy tissue with driver mutations 
Supervisor: Dr Weini Huang

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

The Typically Periodic Optimization Conjecture in Dynamical Systems

Supervisor: Prof Oliver Jenkinson

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

1.      Understanding creativity and success in modern innovation ecosystems

2.      Contagion and cascading failures in complex interacting systems

Supervisor: Prof Vito Latora

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

1.      Local and global geometry of graphs and applications

2.      Random matrix approaches to quantum graphs

Supervisor: Dr Anna Maltsev

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Non-conformal self-affine fractals
Supervisor: Dr Ian Morris

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Analytical and computational model of the emergence and evolution of spatial patterns in networks with coloured nodes
Supervisor: Dr Vincenzo Nicosia 

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

 Including socioeconomic indicators into mathematical epidemic models

Supervisor: Dr Nicola Perra

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

1.      Quantum Monte Carlo methods for simulations of complex geometric clusters

2.      Fighting fish - scaling functions for near-planar lattice models of vesicles

Supervisor: Prof Thomas Prellberg

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Topological invariants for symbolic dynamical systems with sparse irregularities
Supervisor: Dr Reem Yassawi

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

 

GAnG - Geometry, Analysis & Gravitation

The Centre for Geometry, Analysis and Gravitation is a world-leading multidisciplinary research centre on geometric analysis, partial differential equations, topology and all aspects of gravitation.  The Centre for Geometry, Analysis and Gravitation is leading the research on gravitational waves and quantum gravity at Queen Mary University of London, and it has become a reference centre in the UK and worldwide. Its members are a unique blend of pure and applied mathematicians working on different aspects of general relativity, numerical and mathematical relativity quantum gravity and gravitational aspects of string theory and holography.  

The Centre has received funding from prestigious sources such as the European Research Council (ERC), Royal Society University Research Fellowships, UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, various EPSRC standard grants, STFC Ernst Rutherford Fellowships, and STFC Consolidated grants.

The Centre also welcomes applications year-round from students with alternative sources of funding, such as self-funding, Doctoral Loans, Commonwealth scholarships, or other funding options. Contact the relevant academic to discuss projects alternatively if you are considering a PhD using funding not listed below, we encourage you to contact the relevant academic to discuss potential projects.

 

Project

The Project is eligible for:

Project: TBC

Supervisor: Dr Michalis Agathos

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

De Sitter matrix models and field theory
Supervisor:  Dr Tarek Anous

-Faculty Research Support Fund (RSF) 3 yrs Home Fees and Stipend only – apply anytime by 29th Jan 25 – start date to be discussed with Supervisor

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Numerical relativity for fundamental physics
Supervisor: Dr Katy Clough

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Gravitational waves in higher derivative theories of gravity
Supervisor: Prof Pau Figueras

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

p-evolution equations with low-regular coefficients
Supervisor: Prof Claudia Garetto

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Quantum Riemannian geometry to mathematical physics and quantum gravity

Supervisor: Prof Shahn Majid

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Geometric Flows

Primary Supervisor: Dr Huy Nguyen

Second Supervisor: Dr Shengwen Wang

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Gravitational Wave Astronomy

Supervisor: Dr Hong Qi

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Control and Asymptotics of Critically Singular Partial Differential Equations

Supervisor: Dr Arick Shao

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Geometric partial differential equations 
Supervisor: Dr Shengwen Wang

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

 

PSD - Probability, Statistics and Data Science

The Centre for Probability, Statistics and Data Science covers three broadly overlapping main areas of research: probability, statistics and data science. Probability theory is a core topic within mathematics and a foundational aspect in much of the work of the centre. A broad range of areas within probability and applied probability are investigated from stochastic processes, understanding the properties of random mathematical structures including many applications to areas such as statistical physics, finance, etc. The centre also has a strong group of statisticians developing both statistical theory, e.g. Bayesian inference, methodologies, e.g. modelling of spatio-temporal data, and applications, e.g. biostatistics. Finally, the centre has in expertise of other aspects of data science including the foundations of machine learning, solving inverse systems as related to data, topological techniques, and others. 

The Centre also welcomes applications year-round from students with alternative sources of funding, such as self-funding, Doctoral Loans, Commonwealth scholarships, or other funding options. Contact the relevant academic to discuss projects alternatively if you are considering a PhD using funding not listed below, we encourage you to contact the relevant academic to discuss potential projects.

 

Project

The Project is eligible for:

Mathematical foundations for AI 
Supervisor: Prof Omer Bobrowski & Prof Primoz Skraba

-Faculty Research Support Fund (RSF) 3 yrs Home Fees and Stipend only – apply anytime by 29th Jan 25 – start date to be discussed with Supervisor

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Applications of Universality in Topological Data Analysis
Supervisor: Prof Omer Bobrowski

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Advanced Inference methods for High-Dimensional and Functional Data
Supervisor: Dr Nicolás Hernández

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Bayesian Spatio-temporal Modelling for Biodiversity
Supervisor: Dr Silvia Liverani

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Optimal stopping in higher dimensions

Supervisor: Prof John Moriarty

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Statistical modeling of high-dimensional financial time series

Supervisor: Dr Alexander Shestopaloff

 

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E Faculty Studentships (EPSRC) - apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

Learning graphical models for heterogeneous functional data with applications in neuroscience

Supervisor: Dr Eftychia Solea

 

- EPSRC (Principal): apply by 29th Jan25 – start date expected before 1st May 2025.

-CSC Studentship -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-S&E DRS Underrepresented Groups 2025/26  -  apply by 29th Jan 25 - start date expected by 1st Sep 2025.

-Other funding (self-funded, Doctoral Loan, others)

 

Enquiries and Further Information

For any general enquiries regarding the above PhD studentships please contact  maths-phd@qmul.ac.uk.

Dr Reem Yassawi, is the Director of Graduate Studies and Dr Alex Shestopaloff, the Deputy Director of Graduate Studies.

If you have already secured funding for your PhD studies and therefore do not wish your application to be considered within the studentship competition please state this on the appropriate part of your application form.

Choosing your Research Topic

It is highly recommended that first you make up your mind in which area of mathematics you wish to work and, ideally, to even think of prospective PhD supervisors at our School. It is important that your supervisor shares your research interests such that he/she can successfully guide you in your research. Many PhD students in mathematics do not pursue targeted research projects specified at the outset. Instead, they develop an agreed programme of study in discussion with their supervisor during their first year here. This programme tends to evolve in response to what has been learned during preliminary studies.

With this in mind, the important question for a prospective student is: Are my interests aligned with those of the School? The following links provide information on the four Research Centres within our School:

Collaborative Research 

From time to time, we have projects available which are co-sponsored by an industrial partner, or which are run jointly with colleagues in another department at Queen Mary. Recent examples of the latter include the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, and the Wolfson Institute of Population Health.

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