MPhil and PhD

Research Degrees in Manufacturing

Research Topics

There is a broad range of research topics in the IfM. Student research can either build upon work in existing areas, or can develop along new avenues. IfM research currently splits into the following clusters:

Design management
Improving the ways in which design can be managed and exploited at product, firm and national levels.

Distributed information and automation
Intelligent automation technologies to support flexible manufacturing operations and supply networks; technologies and systems enabling automatic identification of manufactured objects throughout the supply chain.

Industry & government
Economic, technology and political trends likely to influence the business environment; understanding industrial policy and appropriate intervention mechanisms to support innovation and economic growth.

International manufacturing
Manufacturing in a global context, including international manufacturing and supply networks, supplier selection and management, global alliances and relocation of production facilities.

Production processes
Innovative production technologies with an emphasis on commercial priorities and the transfer of technology into industry.

Strategy and performance
Understanding and improving the way strategic choices are made, plans are developed and implemented, and performance is measured and achieved.

Technology management
Technology-related decisions across the spectrum of business activities; providing comprehensive support to managers, based on an integrated understanding of science, engineering and business management.

Students typically start with a broad research area that is discussed during the application process. During the early stages of research the aims become more focused, depending on the goals of the student, supervisor and potential industrial collaborators.

The Research Group

The Manufacturing and Management Division of the Department of Engineering operates under the banner of 'the Institute for Manufacturing' (IfM).

The IfM research group consists of more than a hundred and eighty full and part-time researchers, university lecturers, and students (most of whom study three year PhDs). The group has a wide international participation including people from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Europe, Greece, India, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, USA and Vietnam.