Mathematics

• Our courses are taught by world-renowned faculty with a strong background in relevant areas of research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 81 per cent of our research outputs were categorised as world-leading or internationally excellent. Mathematics at Sussex is ranked in the top 25 in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2017.
• Mathematics is crucial to everyday life, from being the basis of internet banking security to verifying the safety of pharmaceuticals through statistics, and offers many career options.
• Members of the Department maintain many collaborative links with other departments both in the UK and overseas.
• The Department fosters an intellectually stimulating environment in which students are encouraged to develop research interests with the support of the faculty.

Research training

You have informal research training to expand your knowledge in areas of mathematics related to your research topic. Training consists of contacts with your supervisors, and is supplemented by study groups, graduate seminars, research seminars, and workshop, summer school, and conference participation.

Currently there is no required formal training (coursework) for research students in the Department of Mathematics. According to your academic needs, as agreed between you and your supervisor, you take modules from a range of specialised PhD- and MSc-level modules. Research training is complemented
by professional development workshops and events specifically for research students. The Department runs weekly seminars on general and specialist topics, with international speakers.

The University’s Doctoral School runs a wide range of training courses covering the needs of students throughout all phases of their studies.

Specialist facilities

Research students have a dedicated shared office space close to their supervisors’ offices and are supplied with a desktop computer. The Department has its own computing research laboratory containing several workstations and PCs. As researchers, PhD and MPhil students have full access to the University’s highperformance computing facilities.

Interaction between research students is greatly supported by the provision of a dedicated communal space and kitchen. Research students also use this space to give seminars to their peers. Our overall aim is to create an environment conducive to discussion and research collaboration at the highest level.

Recent thesis titles

• A numerical approach to study cell dynamics
• Analytically divergence-free discretisation methods for Darcy’s problem
• LDPC codes from semipartial geometries
• On blow-up solutions of parabolic problems
• Primal-dual active set methods for Allen-Cahn variational inequalities
• Recovery methods for evolution and non-linear problems
• Topological methods for strong local minimisers and extremals of multiple integrals of calculus of variations

Requirements

• Magistr or Specialist Diploma with a minimum average mark of at least 4
• A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree or an MSc in mathematics.
• IELTS 6.0, with not less than 6.0 in each section.
• If you are a non-EEA or Swiss national you must obtain clearance by the UK Government Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for this degree. Please ensure you allow sufficient time for your University application to be processed in time for you to apply for ATAS clearance (and a Tier 4 Student Visa if appropriate).
• Reference
• Transcript
• A personal statement
• The application fee is £13 if you’re applying to just one course