Postgraduate Prospectus

www.essex.ac.uk/maths | Mathematical Sciences
About our research degrees
We offer MSc by dissertation•, MPhil•
and PhD• degrees in the areas of pure
mathematics, applied mathematics,
statistics and operational research.
Particular opportunities occur in
bioinformatics, computational operational
research, probability, combinatorics
and numerical analysis. These research
degrees take a minimum of one, two
and three years, respectively, to complete
on a full-time basis.
It is possible to pursue your PhD via a
Doctoral Programme in a variety of areas.
You spend your first year studying modules
similar to those on one of our taught MSc
courses, then work towards your PhD.
Please note that joint supervision
across Essex departments and schools
(particularly with Biological Sciences,
and with Computer Science and Electronic
Engineering) is possible.
We employ some PhD students as
graduate teaching assistants on a part-time
basis. By helping to teach small groups of
undergraduates for up to four hours per
week, you gain valuable experience in
communicating mathematical ideas.
Many of our graduates have gone on to
work as academics in prominent institutions
across the world such as ITAM in Mexico,
the University of Lagos (Nigeria), the
University of Nottingham and the University
of Cambridge.
Muhammad Farooq,
Swabi, Pakistan – PhD
Mathematics ’11
Graduate
profile
I decided to do my PhD at the
University of Essex after looking
into possible postgraduate
study opportunities around the
world. I was already teaching
mathematics at this time, so knew what
I wanted to focus my research on and, at
Essex, I found a suitable supervisor for
this area of specialisation and research.
I really appreciated the outstanding
research culture that I was exposed to at
Essex. The University has a great library
with excellent facilities, while the positive
research environment and friendly people
within the Department of Mathematical
Sciences ensured I enjoyed my stay
as a postgraduate at Essex and
graduated with very good feelings
towards the University.
Since leaving Essex, I have joined
the University of Peshawar in Khyber
Pakhtoon Khwa, Pakistan, as an
assistant professor. My studies at
Essex have truly helped me in this role,
particularly as my PhD is in the same
area in which I teach, so I can now
supervise other students
who are undertaking their
own research in this field.
Other graduates have joined organisations n
like the Met Office, the Ministry of Defence, n
and companies based in the City of London.
There is a high demand for those with a n
numerate background in all sectors of the n
economy, so our graduates are sought by n
employers in the UK and abroad.
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Research areas
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Research supervision is available in the n
following fields:
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n Algebraic semigroups
n Behavioural ecology
n Bioinformatics
n Biostatistics
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Classification
Cohomological aspects of infinite
group theory
Combinatorial optimisation
Computability and complexity
Computational statistics
Computer security
Constraint programming
Data mining
Digital signal processing.
Endomorphisms of graphs and
endomorphisms of partially ordered sets
Epidemiology
Extremal Ramsey graphs
Filters
Fixed point polynomials of finite
permutation groups
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Formal language theory, combinatorics
and graph theory
Models of computation
Neural networks
Numerical computation
Optimisation: mathematical
programming and heuristics
(evolutionary computing)
Paley graphs and other pseudo-random
graphs
Population ecology
Probabilistic combinatorics
Statistical data analysis
Systems biology
Telecommunication networks
Postgraduate Prospectus 2012 | 169