queen mary research in string theory

PhD Information

Studentships

We have PPARC and Queen Mary funding for PhD positions in the group and normally take at least three new PhD students each year using these studentships which cover fees and living expenses. We also take suitably qualified students who are self-funded. All of our PPARC funded PhD studentships are now for four years, which gives our students an excellent basis for competing for postdoctoral positions world-wide.

For details and an application form please contact:

Denise Paige
Physics Department
Queen Mary, University of London
Mile End Road
London, E1 4NS
United Kingdom

Email: D.Paige@qmul.ac.uk.

Applications should reach us by the end of February each year. We normally interview selected students and make offers before the end of March. We occasionally have funding for late applications - please enquire at the time.

General information about postgraduate study at Queen Mary can be found here. The relevant application form can be downloaded here in doc or pdf format. In addition to sending in your application, please notify us directly at D.Paige@qmul.ac.uk.

There is a UK site for prospective graduate students here.

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QMUL IS WORKING TOWARDS EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

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General Information

Research

The primary aim of our PhD programme is to ensure that our students produce the highest quality research, in order to enable them to successfully complete their PhD on time and obtain the best possible foundation for their career. We encourage students to begin work on a research project at the first opportunity, providing flexibility in the choice of project and supervisor, and we foster research interactions and collaborations between students and other members of the group.

Training and Progression

First year PhD students who may need to attend courses in particular subjects needed for their research are encouraged to do so. An important part of the PhD involves training in relevant skills such as seminar presentations, the writing of research papers as well as job application and interview skills; short courses in such areas are provided through the College Graduate School and training is given directly within the research group. All students are required to present formal seminars on their research each year, and are required to have submitted a report or equivalent at the end of the first year. Progression to PhD status, subject to satisfactory performance, normally takes place at the end of the first year. We are committed to ensuring that students successfully obtain their PhDs within the funding period of their grant.

From October 2006 we will offer a new Graduate Program in String/Field Theory. The program consists of a series of short courses on advanced topics in String and Field Theory. The aim of these courses is not to offer a systematic introduction to basic material, but rather to help fill the gap between traditional PhD courses and the knowhow that is required for day-to-day research. For more details and information on the schedule consult the following webpage: Graduate Program in String/Field Theory

Recent PhD graduates

We began a programme of increased recruitment of PhD students in October 2003; the first graduates from this will be in October 2006 and October 2007. PhD graduates from the group include:

Simon McNamara (PhD 2006: Twistor inspired methods in perturbative field theory and fuzzy funnels)
Publications.

Costis Papageorgakis (PhD 2006: On matrix D-brane dynamics and fuzzy spheres)
Costis is currently a postdoc at the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India. Publications.

Ronald Reid-Edwards (PhD 2006),
Ronald is currently a postdoc at the University of Hamburg. Publications.

Joe Henson (PhD 2004: Developing a dynamic for discrete structures in quantum gravity).
Joe is currently at UC San Diego. Publications.

Paul DeMedeiros (PhD 2002).
Paul has a postdoctoral research position at Edinburgh University. Publications.

Stathis Pakis (PhD 2002: Supergravity duals and the geometry of Killing spinors).
Stathis is currently visiting Imperial College. Publications.

Mohab Abouzeid (PhD 2001).
Mohab is currently at the University of Brussels. Publications.

Spyros Skoulakis (PhD 2000).
Spyros has moved into biological research and is working in the Molecular Oncology Group at the Institute of Cancer, Barts and the London, Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry. Publications.

Chris Kohl (PhD 1999).
After his PhD, Chris went to work for Deutsche Bank as a quantitative analyst. Publications.

Bobby Acharya (PhD 1997: Joyce compactifications of string theory and M theory).
After postdocs at Queen Mary and Rutgers, Bobby is on the permanent staff at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. Publications.

Wafic Sabra (PhD 1992).
After holding positions at Royal Holloway, Queen Mary, Berlin and the American University of Beirut, Wafic is now Director of the Centre for Advanced Mathematical Sciences in Beirut, Lebanon. Publications.