Mechanical and Systems Engineering

Overview

As a postgraduate researcher you will be welcomed as a junior academic colleague rather than a student. In this role we ask you to play a full and professional role in contributing to the School of Engineering’s objective of international academic excellence.

The School, the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering, and your supervisory team will support you to develop your research capabilities. We will help you progress with your higher degree and attain a unique skill set, through international conference attendance and research paper submissions.

Research

You can find more detailed information regarding each research group and suggested PhD projects on the School website:

• Bioengineering - group leader Professor Thomas Joyce
• Design, Manufacture and Materials – group leader Professor Kenneth Dalgarno
• Fluid Dynamics and Thermal Systems – group leader Professor Nilanjan Chakraborty

NewRail

NewRail is our centre for railway research at Newcastle and is part of the design, manufacture and materials research group. Through this centre you have the opportunity to research the organisation, management and economics of train movement. The subject looks at innovative concepts for sustainable rail transport with a particular focus on system services, production patterns and rail system designs.

Your scientific work will contribute to the modernisation of the rail sector as a whole, integrating knowledge from a variety of disciplines such as systems engineering, economics and marketing. You will have the opportunity to work with railway experts from local and international rail-focused organisations, such as Network Rail, Railfuture, Tyne and Wear Metro, Port of Tyne and the Tyne and Wear Freight Partnership. Our research areas include:

• demand patterns and models
• supply patterns and models
• grants and contracts
• service execution
• customer satisfaction
• business generation

Delivery

Our research programmes are based in the Stephenson Building on the central Newcastle campus.

Attendance of the Mechanical and Systems Engineering programme from Newcastle University is flexible and depends on the requirements of the research project and is subject to our School Safety policy. You are expected to undertake 40 hours of work per week with annual holiday entitlement of 35 days (this includes statutory and bank holidays)