Course Overview

The Structured PhD, full-time, is a 4-year programme which offers added value to the core component of doctoral training. Students on this programme are offered disciplinary or dissertation specific modules, as well as generic and transferable skills designed to meet the needs of an employment market that is wider than academia.

The programme is flexible and student centred, as candidates choose their own pathways in consultation with their Supervisor and Graduate Research Committee.

Programmes Available

PhD (full-time, four years); applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System

  • New entrants may register for the programme from September to March each year
    The thesis remains central to the award of the PhD and is weighted at 330 ECTs.
  • Students select appropriate skills modules in consultation with their Supervisor and/or Postgraduate Research Committee as follows: At least 10 ECTs in two of the three skills categories, and an overall total of at least 30 ECTs

Skills Categories: (i) Problem Based Learning; (ii) Publication/Dissemination; (iii) Formal Training (from a range of Discipline-specific, Interdisciplinary and Generic modules)

Associated

Learning Outcomes

Entry Requirements

PhD—high Honours standard in the primary degree.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Current research projects

  • Design of scaffolds for nanoscale tissue engineering
  • Development of innovative processing technology for large scale thermoplastic composite structures
  • Regulation in New Product Development    

Current funded research opportunity

Work Placement

Related Student Organisations

Career Opportunities

Find a Supervisor / PhD Project

If you are still looking for a potential supervisor or PhD project or would like to identify the key research interests of our academic staff and researchers, you can use our online portal to help in that search

Research Areas

Dr Mark Bruzzi
Deformation and Failure of Engineering materials
Fatigue failure of Solid Materials
Constitutive behaviour of biological materials
Development of Active Materials
Design and Development of Medical Devices
 
Dr Kathryn Cormican
Technology innovation Management
Product Design & Development
Enterprise Systems Design & Analysis
 
Ms Mary Dempsey
Business Process Engineering
Logistics
Operations Strategy
Emergency Planning
 
Dr Pat Donnellan
Health and safety management systems and risk management
Quality Management Systems
 
Dr John Eaton
Computational and experimental fluid dynamics.
Aerodynamics of flight vehicles, propulsion systems and components.
Aeroacoustics of turbulent flows.
Turbomachinery fluid dynamics.
Biofluid mechanics and flow systems.
Multidisciplinary design optimisation.
 
Mr Enda Fallon
Human Reliability in Health Care Systems
A Best Practice Occupational Health & Safety Management System for Networked Organisations in the Manufacturing Sector
Integrated Management Systems for Biomedical Device Manufacturing Companies
Health & Safety and Ergonomics in the Professional Athletes Workplace
 
Ms Martina Kelly
Ergonomics/Human Factors
Usability
Safety Management Systems
Risk Management in Regulated Environments
 
Professor Sean Leen
Computational solid mechanics
Structural integrity
Fatigue
Fretting and wear
Plasticity, creep and superplasticity
Modelling of manufacturing processes
 
Dr Pat McGarry
Multiscale cell and tissue mechanics
Active cell modelling
Biomechanics of hard and soft tissue
Cardiovascular and orthopaedic implant and device design.
Linear and non-linear computational method development and application in biomedical and materials engineering
 
Professor Peter McHugh
Computational micromechanics in the engineering analysis of complex materials and systems Biomechanics of hard and soft tissue
Multi-scale analysis methods for determination of structure-property relationships in biological and implanted materials
Computational methods in biomedical engineering applied to linear and non-linear problems, using implicit and explicit solution algorithms
Medical implant and device analysis and design.
 
Dr Laoise McNamara
Mechanical characterisation of biological tissues
Bone cell biology
Mechanobiology
Bone tissue regeneration in vitro
Finite element modelling
Adaptive modelling of biological processes
 
Dr Padraig Molloy
Development of technology based solutions for health and living, particulaly systems that are relevant to the disabled and elderly.
Product and production systems design.
Built environment simulation and control systems development.
 
Professor Paul Nolan
Computer algebra in web-based course delivery. 
Simulation based training using internet technologies. 
Virtual reality prototyping of biomedical devices.
 
Dr Conchúr Ó Brádaigh
Processing of thermoplastic composite materials
Liquid moulding of thermoplastic composite using monomer systems
Mechanical testing of advanced composites
Recycling of composite materials
Application to innovative sporting, automotive and wind energy applications
 
Professor Abhay Pandit
Extracellular matrix development for soft tissue applications
Delivery of therapeutic (viral and non-viral) biomolecules delivery through novel tethering mechanisms
Tissue Engineering: Scaffold design, Biomimetics
Biomaterial enhanced repair and regeneration
 
Dr Nathan Quinlan
Biomedical fluid dynamics (pulmonary, cardiovascular and cellular applications)
Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics - mesh-free Lagrangian modelling of fluid dynamics
Fluid dynamics of droplet formation
Needle-free intradermal and pulmonary devices
Doppler Global Velocimetry and Particle Image Velocimetry
Fluid dynamics and thermodynamics in high speed flows
Propeller and wing aerodynamics
 
Dr Wenxin Wang
Functional Dendritic Polymers for Controlled Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering
Multifunctional Nanocarriers (nanoparticles, micelles, vesicles) for Therapeutic Biomolecular Delivery
Functional Biomaterials for Wound Healing
Temperature, PH and Ion Responsive Polymeric Materials
Controlled/Living Polymerisation Techniques
 
Dr Dimitrios Zeugolis
Biomaterials; Tissue Engineering; Bioengineering; Nanotechnology; Soft Tissue Repair / Regeneration (tendon, skin, cornea, nerve); Macromolecular Crowding; Extracellular Matrix Biology; Scaffold Stabilisation & Functionalisation; Directional Growth of Cells for Neotissue Formation; Sustained Release of Therapeutic Molecules; Drug Delivery / Release

Researcher Profiles

Head of Department  
Prof. Peter McHugh    
peter.mchugh@universityofgalway.ie

Academic staff   
Dr. Mark Bruzzi
mark.bruzzi@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. John A. Eaton 
john.eaton@universityofgalway.ie

Prof. Sean B. Leen  
sean.leen@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. Pat McGarry 
patrick.mcgarry@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. Laoise McNamara   
laoise.mcnamara@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. Padraig Molloy    
padraig.molloy@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. Kathryn Cormican    
kathryn.cormican@universityofgalway.ie

Mr Enda Fallon   
enda.fallon@universityofgalway.ie

Dr Pat Donnellan   
pat.donnellan@universityofgalway.ie

Ms Martina Kelly  
martina.kelly@universityofgalway.ie

Ms Mary Dempsey  
mary.dempsey@universityofgalway.ie

Prof. Paul J. Nolan   
paul.nolan@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. Conchúr M. Ó Brádaigh
conchur.obradaigh@universityofgalway.ie

Prof. Abhay Pandit  
abhay.pandit@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. Nathan Quinlan   
nathan.quinlan@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. Wenxin Wang
wenxin.wang@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. Dimitrios Zeugolis  
dimitrios.zeugolis@universityofgalway.ie

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€5,750 p.a. (€5,890 including levy) 2024/25

Fees: Non EU

€15,000 p.a. (€15,140 including levy) 2024/25

Extra Information


EU Part time: Year 1 €4,250 p.a. (€4,390 including levy) 2024/25


All students, irrespective of funding, must pay the student levy of €140.

Contact Us

Jane Bowman
T +353 91 492 723  
E jane.bowman@universityofgalway.ie
      
Sharon Gilmartin 
T +353 91 495 035
E sharon.gilmartin@universityofgalway.ie  

Mary Hardiman   
T +353  91 492 223
E mary.hardiman@universityofgalway.ie