Courses / Course structure

Students entering the Structured PhD Programme in Biology will be under the supervision of an experienced researcher. All academic staff members in the Biology Department are experienced and active researchers and can supervise PhD students. Information about their research can be found on the Biology Department website (https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/biology/our-research) and interested students should initially contact researchers directly to discuss potential PhD projects.

In most but not all instances, your stipend, university fees, consumable, equipment and travel costs will be paid from a research grant from a national or international grant agency or charity. Your supervisor usually competitively obtains this grant but students can also obtain their own scholarships, such as from the Irish Research Council (IRC). Scholarship awards, such as the John Hume Scholarship, are also available from Maynooth University via an annual call. There is usually no support available for extra time required to complete your degree so you should try and manage your research and thesis writing to take place within the allocated timeframe (usually 3-4 years).

Upon entering the programme each student will be assigned two additional mentors, an Advisor and an Assessor. The Advisor provides additional mentorship for the student throughout the four-year programme and is someone the student can discuss issues with in addition to their supervisor. The Assessor is a member of staff who will provide an annual constructive critique of the students work programme and will aid, together with the Advisor, in outlining possible future research plans.

In addition to the research project, training is provided through compulsory attendance of a variety of generic and transferable skills as well as subject-specific modules. For example, the established Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning will provide research students with experience in practical class demonstrating and teaching and learning methodologies. Training in subject specific skills is provided through modules offered either through the Biology Department or through other third level institutions.  Finally, research students will be encouraged to attend at least one international conference during their four-year programme, at which they will be expected to present an oral or poster presentation.

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September

The Department of Chemistry is committed to providing excellence in teaching, research and in the training of PhD students. Our aim is to provide graduate students with every opportunity to enhance and develop their career, by providing good supervision, training in research methodology and associated professional skills; all of which will prepare them for their subsequent career.

The main objective of this programme is to provide graduate students with an integrated broad-based training in the discipline of chemistry including the most advanced research methodology in physical, organic, inorganic and analytical chemistry.

There are three main educational elements to the chemistry structured PhD programme, namely: (1) Research Work, (2) Education Courses in Chemistry and (3) Professional Training. Details of the Programme are provided in the Departmental Postgraduate Student Handbook (for Candidates Completing a PhD Degree in Chemistry) which is available through the Department.

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September (or other agreed time)

The aim of the Structured PhD in Computer Science is to provide the student with an opportunity to carry out a significant body of research work with support from the structured module component of the programme. The programme will offer both academic modules to enhance the student's specialist knowledge, and transferable skills modules. These modules will add significantly to the PhD experience by broadening the skill base of the candidate.

The first step to applying is to identify a potential supervisor; this involves deciding on a general research area that you are interested in and then contacting a member of the department’s staff that is specialising in that area. Note that applicants should only apply for the programme after they have secured agreement from a relevant member of staff to supervise their research. More information on research in the department can be found in the Research Interests section above. 

Research postgraduates are typically (though not exclusively) funded during their research. Support varies depending on the source, but funding can include payment of fees, a salary and travel expenses. Please note that all funding programmes are highly competitive, and most are contingent on the applicant securing high marks in their primary degree.

Research students can also register to work jointly with the Department of Computer Science and one of the Maynooth University Research Institutes or Centres (see: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/research/research-institutes). Please see the entries for these institutes for more details of the research topics available

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September (or other agreed time)

Research degrees in Experimental Physics are based on original research work, which may involve laboratory investigations and/or computational studies.  This research is carried out under the supervision of an experienced researcher.  In addition, valuable transferable skills are developed through flexible support modules, as part of Maynooth University's structured PhD programme. 

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September (or other agreed time)

This structured PhD programme in Geocomputation aims to:

• Build capacity for independent research.
• Enhance advanced specialist knowledge in Geocomputation alongside transferable and generic skills.
• Enable students to disseminate their research.

In addition to the modules associated with this particular course, this Structured PhD programme offers postgraduate researchers the opportunity to select from modules taught on the MSc in Geocomputation and professional skills training modules offered by different faculties or modules offered by other Departments which are of particular interest, for example research commercialisation.

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September (or other agreed time)

The PhD (Science) is a research degree which usually takes four years to complete. A student must write a thesis under the direction of a member of staff containing a significant new result or an original insight. Collaborations with outside parties have involved work in Chemistry, Medicine, Archaeology, Banking, Computer-Aided Design, and other areas.

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September (or other agreed time)

The aims of the programme reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the research undertaken in the Hamilton Institute and the varied backgrounds of our PhD students. The major aims of the programme are the following.

- To assist students to acquire the technical skills and knowledge required to successfully complete a programme of research leading to a PhD.
- To enable students to develop a blend of specialist and generic/transferable skills that will assist them in the conduct of their research, the production of their thesis and in their future careers, whether these are within or outside academia.
- To develop a research and training environment that exposes students to leading international research and enables students to develop and practice the skills necessary to present and disseminate their own work both locally and on the international stage.

The objectives of the programme are to:
- To support the conduct of doctoral research through the provision of a suite of specialist technical modules in applied mathematics and computational science that are key to the research themes of the Hamilton Institute.
- To assist students to develop the blend of transferable and generic skills required for future careers within or outside of academia.
- To help students develop written and oral presentation skills through the production of peer-reviewed published work and the delivery of presentations at national and international conferences.

All research degrees are supported by a number of taught modules to be taken over the course of the programme to enhance research excellence and professional training.

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September (or other agreed time)

The PhD is a research degree which usually takes four years to complete. A student must write a thesis under the direction of a member of staff containing a significant amount of original Statistics. Potential students should look at the list of proposed research projects and the list of academic staff; the latter list includes links to pages that detail the areas of expertise of each staff member. Collaborations with outside parties have involved work in Chemistry, Medicine, Archaeology, Banking, Computer-Aided Design, and other areas.

Additional information about postgraduate opportunities in Mathematics and Statistics can be found at www.maths.nuim.ie/postgrad 

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September (or other agreed time)

The Department has exchange agreements under the EC SOCRATES programme with a number of European universities. Students may spend up to half of one year at another university under this programme, provided that a suitable programme of studies is arranged. Financial aid is available in the form of IRC awards, the University's internal postgraduate funding scheme and Departmental tutorships. Occasionally funding is available for specific projects from other agencies.
 

PhD (Science) in Theoretical Physics

The objective of the structured research programme in Theoretical Physics is to provide:

- A high quality research experience and training
- Enhanced arrangements for supervision and mentorship
- Structured arrangements for the development of generic and transferable skills
- Advanced discipline-specific taught courses
- Regular monitoring of progress

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September (or other agreed time)