Subject overview
In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 90 per cent of our mathematics research was rated as recognised internationally or higher, and 50 per cent rated as internationally excellent or higher.
Mathematics at Sussex is ranked in the top 20 in the UK in The Sunday Times University Guide 2012 and in the top 30 in the UK in The Complete University Guide 2014.
Mathematics is crucial to everyday life, from being the basis of internet banking security to verifying the safety of pharmaceuticals through statistics, and offers many career options.
In 2011, US careers website Jobs Rated rated mathematician to be the second most popular job out of the 200 considered.
The Department of Mathematics is home to a group of internationally recognised researchers working in different areas of mathematics.
Members of the Department maintain many collaborative links with other departments both in the UK and overseas.
The Department fosters an intellectually stimulating environment in which students are encouraged to develop research interests with the support of the faculty.
Specialist facilities
Each full-time PhD student has shared office space with other postgraduates. Computing and laser printing facilities are available to all postgraduate students, and there is easy access to the computing facilities of the University and, via Information Technology Services, to worldwide computing networks. As researchers, PhD students have full access to highperformance computing.
The Department has its own computing research laboratory, containing several workstations and PCs. Other machines are also available within shared offices for PhD students.
Programmes
- PhD in Mathematics
- MPhil in Mathematics
Our PhD and MPhil research degrees can be studied either full time or part time. You usually attend advanced modules, as well as undertaking research work supervised by a member of faculty.
The Department runs weekly seminars on general and specialist topics, with both national and international speakers.
Recent thesis titles
Adaptive designs for clinical trials which adjust for imbalances in prognostic factors
Analysis of dynamic models of evolving populations
Analysis of the Osher-Sole-Vese model in image processing
Combinatorial aspects of the theory of q-series
Market efficiency of horse-race betting markets with applications to spread betting
Mathematical analysis and numerical solutions of an integral equation arising from population dynamics
Mathematical models of kleptoparasitism
Near maximum distance separable codes over the field of 11 elements
Non-convex variational problems, heat flows and forward-backward diffusion equations
Numerical analysis of macroscopic critical state models for type-II superconductivity in 3D
On the efficient numerical solution of Cahn- Hilliard fluids
Ovals and arcs in finite projective planes
Quantales and noncommutative sober spaces
Sequential adaptive designs for early-phase clinical trials
Stochastic models of small populations
Entry requirements
- MPhil in Mathematics
-
UK entrance requirements
A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree in mathematics.
Overseas entrance requirements
Please refer to column A in Overseas qualifications.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.
For more information, refer to English language requirements.
Additional admissions information
If you are a non-EEA student you must obtain clearance by the UK Government Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for this degree. Please ensure you allow sufficient time for your university application to be considered and processed in time for you to apply for ATAS clearance and your Tier 4 visa.
- PhD in Mathematics
-
UK entrance requirements
A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree in mathematics.
Overseas entrance requirements
Please refer to column A in Overseas qualifications.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.
For more information, refer to English language requirements.
Additional admissions information
If you are a non-EEA student you must obtain clearance by the UK Government Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) for this degree. Please ensure you allow sufficient time for your university application to be considered and processed in time for you to apply for ATAS clearance and your Tier 4 visa.
Visas and immigration
Find out more about Visas and immigration.
For more information about the admissions process at Sussex
For pre-application enquiries:
Student Recruitment Services
T +44 (0)1273 876787
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk
For post-application enquiries:
Postgraduate Admissions,
University of Sussex,
Sussex House, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
T +44 (0)1273 877773
F +44 (0)1273 678545
E pg.applicants@sussex.ac.uk
Related subjects
Fees and funding
Fees
- MPhil in Mathematics
-
Home UK/EU students: £3,9001
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £3,9002
Overseas students: £13,00031 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
2 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
3 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
- PhD in Mathematics
-
Home UK/EU students: £3,9001
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £3,9002
Overseas students: £13,00031 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
2 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
3 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
To find out about your fee status, living expenses and other costs, visit further financial information.
Funding
The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.
To find out more about funding and part-time work, visit further financial information.
EPSRC PhD studentship on Bifurcations in system behaviour and network structure for a class of dynamic network models (2013)
Region: UK, Europe (Non UK)
Level: PG (research)
Application deadline: 2 September 2013
Postgraduate research award for a UK or EU student offering maintenance and a fee waiver for 3.5 years
EPSRC PhD studentship on Higher-order nonlinear PDEs of gradient flow type (2013)
Region: UK, Europe (Non UK)
Level: PG (research)
Application deadline: 2 September 2013
Postgraduate research award for a UK or EU student offering maintenance and a fee waiver for 3.5 years
EPSRC PhD studentship on inverse problems for cell motility (2013)
Region: UK, Europe (Non UK)
Level: PG (research)
Application deadline: 2 September 2013
Postgraduate research award for a UK or EU student offering maintenance and a fee waiver for 3.5 years
Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust for Postgraduate Study (2013)
Region: UK
Level: PG (taught), PG (research)
Application deadline: 1 October 2013
The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust are offering bursaries to Postgraduate students following any postgraduate degree courses in any subject.
PhD studentships in Mathematics (2013)
Region: UK, Europe (Non UK), International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (research)
Application deadline: 31 August 2014
Postgraduate research awards for UK, EU or Overseas students offering maintenance and a fee waivers for 3.5 years
Faculty interests
Research in the Department of Mathematics focuses on the non-mutually exclusive areas of:
- Analysis and partial differential equations
-
Dr Miroslav Chlebík Geometric measure theory with applications to calculus of variation. Non-linear partial differential equations, existence and regularity theory, blow-up phenomena.
Dr Masoumeh Dashti Partial differential equations, inverse problems, and mathematical theory of fluid mechanics.
Dr Gabriel Koch Analysis of partial differential equations, Navier-Stokes equations of fluid dynamics, regularity theory for non-linear partial differential equations, harmonic analysis.
Dr Ali Taheri Calculus of variations, partial differential equations and topology. Sobolev spaces and mapping problems, critical point theory and topological invariants.
Dr Qi Tang Mathematical and statistical modelling of financial, corporate and technological risks; analysing inference, tracking of trend, data fitting; and Monte-Carlo simulation of risk models.
Dr Arghir Zarnescu Non-linear partial differential equations and related analysis issues, in particular physical models for complex and classical fluids.
- Geometry
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Dr Roger Fenn Knots, links, graphs, surfaces and 3-manifolds, and low-dimensional geometric topology and associated algebra. Typical examples are generalised braids and racks.
Professor James Hirschfeld The combinatorics of finite projective spaces, classical algebraic and projective geometry. Links the abstract algebraic geometry of curves over finite fields with linear codes.
- Numerical analysis and scientific computing
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Professor Erik Burman Numerical analysis and scientific computing focusing on finite element methods for complex flow problems. Design of efficient decoupling techniques for multiphysics problems.
Dr Bertram Düring Applied and financial mathematics; modelling, numerics and optimal control of partial differential equations.
Dr Omar Lakkis Numerical analysis and scientific computing. Applications to materials science and phase transition problems. Computational stochastic differential equations.
Dr Vanessa Styles The analysis of systems of non-linear partial differential equations. The well-posedness, existence, uniqueness, regularity and long-time behaviour of solutions.
- Mathematics applied to biology
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Dr Konstantin Blyuss Mathematical biology and epidemiology, modelling of phase-change processes, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, stability of solitary waves.
Dr Peter Giesl Dynamical systems. Analytical and numerical methods. Applications to biomechanics: stability of movements of the human musculoskeletal system.
Dr István Kiss Mathematical modelling of infectious disease transmission and control. The implications of population contact network properties for disease invasion and epidemic control strategies.
Dr Yuliya Kyrychko Mathematical modelling of real-life processes, delay differential equations and reaction-diffusion systems.
Dr Anotida Madzvamuse Developing numerical techniques and algorithms to solve biological and medical problems. Bio-membranes, tumour growth, angiogenesis, cell deformation.
Careers and perspectives
Our research degrees provide training and experience in advanced mathematical techniques, preparing you for a position in business, industry, government or an academic institution.
For more information, visit Careers and alumni.
School and contacts
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
The School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences brings together two outstanding and progressive departments – Mathematics, and Physics and Astronomy. It capitalises on the synergy between these subjects to deliver new and challenging opportunities for its students and faculty.
Mathematics, PG Admissions,
University of Sussex, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9QH, UK
E phd@maths.sussex.ac.uk
Department of Mathematics
Discover Postgraduate Study information sessions
You’re welcome to attend one of our Discover Postgraduate Study information sessions. These are held in the spring and summer terms and enable you to find out more about postgraduate study and the opportunities Sussex has to offer.
Visit Discover Postgraduate study to book your place.
Other ways to visit Sussex
We run weekly guided campus tours every Wednesday afternoon, year round. Book a place online at Visit us and Open Days.
You are also welcome to visit the University independently without any pre-arrangement.