PhD by Research
Postgraduate Research
The School of Chemistry has a vibrant and world-leading research portfolio covering four research themes; Biological Chemistry, Materials, Molecular Bonding and Spectroscopy and Synthesis and catalysis. These themes also encompass the interfaces of chemistry with physics, biology, biomedical sciences, materials, nanosciences and engineering.
Our research is led by our outstanding postgraduate students who are enrolled on our MSc by Research and PhD programmes.
Outstanding facilities
The School’s research laboratories are located in a purpose-designed Chemistry buildings on the University Park and Jubilee campuses. Our facilities have a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art instrumentation, including the new £1.5m Centre for Mass Spectrometry, high-field NMR, solid-state NMR, single crystal CCD, powder X-ray diffractometers, state-of-the-art XPS, mass spectrometers, UV/VIS/Raman, FTIR, SQUID magnetometer, fluorimeters and ToF SIMS, UHV and surface equipment, and computational modelling with High Performance Computing.
There are also world-class laser facilities from UV to IR, with timescales from picosecond to CW, and the School is leading the campus-wide development of new applications including medical and cellular imaging. The School has excellent technical support and a full range of workshop facilities.
Exceed your potential
With more than £6m raised for research within the School annually from research councils, the EU and industry, we aim to recruit around 50 fully-funded postgraduates each year. Socially, the School has a vibrant student Chemical Society that provides a wide range of events and a stimulating programme of lectures reflecting the diversity of chemistry. With more than 180 postgraduates, there is ample opportunity for many extramural activities.
Research programme
A postgraduate degree in chemistry from Nottingham is the passport to a diverse range of rewarding careers in industry, academia and across the professions. The School has long established links with the major pharmaceutical, chemical, industrial and commercial companies nationally and internationally.
Find out more about potential postgraduate research projects
Achieve at Nottingham
As well as funding studentships, these companies actively recruit from our postgraduate cohort on an annual basis, and offer a wide range of placement opportunities. The Researcher Academy offers opportunities for postgraduates to apply for placements, for 3 months or part-time over 3-6 months. These allow the successful candidates to work in companies or institutions anywhere in the world gaining new skills and networking with employers.
Find out more about Postgraduate Placements