PhD Pure Mathematics

Undertaking our PhD Pure Mathematics gives you the opportunity to investigate such areas as algebraic geometry, group theory, semigroup theory, combinatorics and differential equations. We have staff with expertise in each of these areas who are enthusiastic about supervising PhD students. If you're interested in studying with us, please

Our staff are strongly committed to research and teaching. They have published several well-regarded text books and are world leaders in their individual specialisms, with their papers appearing in learned journals such as: Journal of Algebra, Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra, Acta Arithmetica, Discrete Mathematics, and Journal of Group Theory.

Our School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science is genuinely innovative and student-focused. Our research groups are working on a broad range of collaborative areas tackling real-world issues. Here are a few examples:

Our data scientists carefully consider how not to lie, and how not to get lied to with data. Interpreting data correctly is especially important because much of our data science research is applied directly or indirectly to social policies, including health, care and education.

We do practical research with financial data (for example, assessing the risk of collapse of the UK's banking system) as well as theoretical research in financial instruments such as insurance policies or asset portfolios.

We also research how physical processes develop in time and space. Applications of this range from modelling epilepsy to modelling electronic cables.

Our optimisation experts work out how to do the same job with less resource, or how to do more with the same resource.

Our pure maths group are currently working on two new funded projects entitled “The Calabi problem for smooth Fano threefolds” and “Stability of Brunn-Minkowski inequalities and Minkowski type problems for nonlinear capacity”.

We also do research into mathematical education and use exciting technologies such as electroencephalography or eye tracking to measure exactly what a learner is feeling. Our research aims to encourage the implementation of ‘the four Cs' of modern education, which are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

We offer an MSD and MPhil in this subject, and part-time research study is available. You can also start this course in either October, January or April.

You will need a good honours degree and a Masters degree in a relevant subject. A well-developed research proposal is also essential.