The Department of Engineering and Design is proud of its long-standing collaborations with leaders in the engineering and design industry and new relationships with international institutions. Together, we collaborate on topics that explore our areas of expertise, develop solutions to problems of importance to industry, and encourage the generation of new ideas by our students.
Research
We are undergoing collaborative research with companies including GE Aviation, Plessey Semiconductors, Jaguar Land Rover and Meggitt Sensing Systems. These partnerships have demonstrated the quality of our research and have enabled us to develop collaborative research programmes with funding from such places as industrial partners and the EU.
The significance of these achievements demonstrates the excellence of our research and taught courses. Furthermore, we are keen to develop our joint research activity whereby industrial partners sponsor research students who are working toward a DPhil, giving our partners access to our expertise and facilities.
If you are interested in working with the Department in an area of research, please contact our Director for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Ian Wakeman.
Sponsorship
Many of the organisations with whom we are linked offer sponsored prizes, projects, and research to our students over the course of their studies. Industrial sponsorship of student projects, for both undergraduate and MSc students, gives invaluable insight into industrial requirements and approaches to complex problem solving and gives industry an opportunity for a student to work on a project that could bring them benefits but they do not have the necessary staff or facilities.
This also gives industry an opportunity to work with students over an extended period so that have a good appreciate of the students abilities and how they would fit in.
A typical example is the annual Formula Student project. Sponsored by Mobil 1, the project gives students an opportunity to design, build, and race a single-seat racing car.
The 2013 team's brochure can be downloaded here: Team Sussex digital brochure [PDF 9.58MB]
If you are interested in funding student projects, please contact the Head of School in the first instance.
Advisory Board
The School Strategic Advisory Board provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, advice, and the setting of priorities for the Department’s strategy. It has an external chair and members from key industrial sectors that are relevant to research and teaching.
We work in partnership with industry and commerce to develop our degrees, producing graduates who are prepared to work in industry and are valued by employers.
Placements
Our Engineering and Design courses all have an optional placement year assessed as an integral part of the course and all students are encouraged to take a placement.
We are always keen to make more links with employers. The University's Career and Employability Centre has more information available to employers.
Information on Engineering and Product Design industrial and professional placement years can be downloaded here:
Engineering professional placements information [PDF 197.84KB]
Product Design professional placements information [PDF 141.35KB]
