About the course

The DPhil in Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Structures will offer you the opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge, understanding and expertise in the design and development of offshore renewable energy systems (wind, wave and tidal).

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Structures is run by the University of Oxford in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde and the University of Edinburgh. All students on the CDT course undertake a comprehensive programme of taught modules, as well as an individual doctoral research project.

As an Oxford DPhil student you will be based at the Department of Engineering Science in central Oxford for the majority of your degree. The main research interests for the Oxford stream of the CDT are in geotechnical engineering (notably foundations for offshore wind turbines) and environmental fluid mechanics (as applied to offshore wind and tidal turbines). Applications to work in other areas of civil engineering with relevance to offshore renewable energy (eg structural health monitoring) are also welcomed.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Engineering Science and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Department of Engineering Science.

You will join your supervisor's research group which normally has post- doctoral researchers and other research students working on broadly similar research themes. Typically you would interact daily with member of the group and have weekly contact with your supervisor. Many groups have weekly meetings where members discuss their research or perhaps present other published work.

Assessment

In the first year you will be assessed on the taught courses and the group project, as well as your individual research project. Early in your second year, there will be a formal assessment to decide whether you have made sufficient progress to continue working towards a DPhil. You will be required to write a research report, give an oral presentation, and present a detailed and coherent plan for your future research. Progress towards completion will again be formally assessed during your third year of study. For the DPhil you will be required to submit a substantial thesis that will be examined by experts in the field (one from the department and one from elsewhere). The research will often result in the publication of several journal and conference papers.

The final degree is awarded by the University of Oxford.

Graduate destinations

The CDT will provide DPhil students with multi-disciplinary expertise in offshore renewable energy, and allow them to work on challenging research and development problems, often in collaboration with industrial and academic partners. As they progress through the CDT, students will benefit from a gradual increase in responsibility and a greater level of external engagement, making them well equipped for future leadership roles in industry, both nationally and internationally. It is expected that many DPhil graduates from the CDT will go directly into industry, with others moving on to post-doctoral positions and choosing to follow an academic career path.