This Master of Research (MRes) programme focuses on the science, technology, and applications of sensors, preparing students for research careers in both academic and industrial settings. It covers a broad range of topics across the sensor science value chain, including the physical and biological principles of sensing, sensor design, sensor networks, data processing, and applications in healthcare and sustainability. The programme was designed to provide a structured learning experience that addresses national and international workforce demands, fostering leadership, innovation and interdisciplinary expertise in sensor science.

More specifically, the programme’s educational aims are to:

· Produce science and engineering leaders with a high level of understanding and skills in sensor technology, including fundamentals of sensor science, knowledge of sensor systems and applications and relevant hands-on skills.

· Produce leaders who understand sustainable practice and can bring innovative solutions to pressing societal problems (e.g. those relating to our changing environment and health).

· Encourage an appreciation of relevant technological opportunities for sensors and their networks, along with the business, road-mapping and cost-analysis tools used to assess the adoption of new technological solutions.

· Foster an understanding of responsible research and innovation specific to sensor technologies and applications (e.g. data privacy and ownership, trustworthiness of sensor information and unintended use of sensor technologies).

· Promote a strong business awareness of the commercialisation opportunities for sensors and related systems, and foster an understanding of the connections between technology, management and entrepreneurship.

· Expose students to a range of sensor technology areas.

· Encourage students to work across scientific and engineering discipline boundaries, with a resultant enhancement of interdisciplinary understanding.

· Equip graduates with communication and outreach training, personal development skills and specific research training to enable them to become future technology leaders with strong public engagement skills.

This course is aimed at students with backgrounds in natural sciences, technology, mathematics or medicine and a proven interest in sensing. It is structured in two phases: a one-year MRes course followed by a three-year PhD research programme.

The MRes phase consists of a combination of taught and research modules aimed at teaching students the technical and transferable skills required to carry out original research in the area of sensing and to become future leaders in sensor technologies.

Subject to passing the MRes in Sensor Technologies and Applications and demonstrating the ability to conduct research at PhD level, students continue to carry out an interdisciplinary PhD project in the area of sensing offered by the approximately 50 participating academic supervisors. Project supervisors will provide short project outlines. Each student will select their project and develop it into a detailed PhD proposal together with their supervisor and defend it in front of a panel of academic and/or industrial members of the Sensor CDT.

The PhD projects will allow students to become experts in their specific fields. Continuing interdisciplinary research activities during the PhD phase, such as workshops and seminars, will foster collaboration across discipline boundaries and provide a peer network. Other opportunities during the PhD phase include entrepreneurship, outreach, and industry placements.

The programme has the following aims:

• Produce science and engineering leaders with a high level of understanding and skills in sensor technology, in particular, the fundamentals of the field, together with the necessary systems and applications knowledge, and relevant hands-on skills;
• To produce leaders who understand sustainable practice and bring innovative solutions to pressing societal problems, for example, those relating to our changing environment and health;
• Encourage an appreciation of relevant technological opportunities for sensors and their networks, and the business, road-mapping and cost-analysis tools used to determine the adoption of new technological solutions;
• Encourage the appreciation and understanding of responsible research and innovation specific to sensor technologies and applications (e.g. data privacy and ownership, trustworthiness of sensor information and unintended use of sensor technologies);
• Develop a strong business awareness in the MRes for the commercialisation opportunities of sensors and related systems, and to foster an understanding of the connections between technology, management and entrepreneurship;
• Expose the students to a range of cognate sensor technologies and application areas, and to provide the experience of a variety of different R&D cultures across the University.
• Encourage students to work across scientific- and engineering-discipline boundaries, with a resultant enhancement of interdisciplinary understanding;
• Equip graduates of the programme with communication and outreach training, personal and development skills, as well as specific research training to enable them to be future technology leaders with excellent public engagement skills.

The MPhil programme in Scientific Computing provides world-class education on high performance computing and advanced algorithms for numerical simulation at continuum and atomic-scale levels. The course trains early-career scientists in the use of existing computational software and in the underlying components of the simulation pipeline, from mathematical models of physical systems and advanced numerical algorithms for their discretisation, to object-oriented programming and methods for high-performance computing for deployment in contemporary massively parallel computers. As a result, course graduates have rigorous research skills and are formidably well-equipped to proceed to doctoral research or directly into employment. The highly transferable skills in algorithm development and high-performance computing make our graduates extremely employable in all sectors of industry, commerce and finance, including aerospace, manufacturing, energy, hedge funds and fintech.

The MPhil in Scientific Computing is suitable for graduates from any discipline of natural sciences, technology or engineering, who have good mathematical and computational skills.

The MPhil in Scientific Computing is offered by the Department of Physics as a full-time course and introduces students to research skills and specialist knowledge. Its main aims are:

• To provide education in Scientific Computing of the highest quality at a graduate level and to produce graduates of the calibre sought by industry, the professions, and the public service.

• To provide training for the academic researchers and teachers of the future.

• To encourage and pursue research of the highest quality in Scientific Computing and its applications.

In a competitive international business environment, real estate professionals need a sophisticated understanding of finance, economics and law to succeed. The MPhil in Real Estate Finance has been designed to provide rigorous training in the latest concepts from these three key areas as applied to international real estate markets.

The course is aimed at those who may already have some experience or interest in real estate markets, banking or investment and wish to upgrade their skills, or for those who are looking to commence a career in this area. The programme offers an opportunity to study theoretical and practical finance, investment, economics and law applied to global commercial real estate markets, while enjoying the cultural, social and recreational facilities of Cambridge. The course takes students from a wide variety of backgrounds: finance, geography, economics, law, biology, international business and mathematics. These students have in common a strong desire to work in property and investments coupled with strong academic skills.

Tuition in the programme is based around classroom lectures, practitioner presentations and site visits to ensure students can apply the theoretical concepts taught. The programme can also serve as an entry point into PhD training for those interested in pursuing research in real estate finance in greater depth.

MPhil courses offered by the Department of Land Economy share common aims:

• Enable students of high calibre to pursue their education at an advanced applied level drawing on the primary disciplines of economics, planning and environmental policy, with additional specialisms in finance and law.
• Provide students with opportunities both to build on and develop material which they may have studied at an undergraduate level as well as to broaden their knowledge base.
• Equip students with the necessary skills to pursue careers at a high level in a range of areas, including business and finance, civil service, public service, property professions, environmental agencies and organisations, national and international agencies and further study.
• Provide opportunities for education in a multidisciplinary environment so as to advance the understanding of cognate disciplines and their applications.
• Provide opportunities for learning with colleagues from different social, economic and legal systems.
• Provide students with appropriate skills and experience to enable them to use information and resources critically and to equip them with the means to undertake their own research.
• Provide an educational environment with a strong research ethos that brings together students from a wide variety of backgrounds and fosters an international approach to common problems.

The Real Estate Master's Programme is a Master of Studies (MSt) course offered by the Department of Land Economy drawing on the multidisciplinary strength of the Department and the University. It is aimed at experienced professionals and those identified as future leaders in the real estate and associated industries and it combines academic rigour with significant industry input. The course aims to equip participants with a broad and deep knowledge of all aspects of the real estate industry, familiarise them with models and theories that help understanding of market behaviour, and develop insight into a range of long-term themes and strategic issues in the market while developing a range of research and other skills.

This is a two-year part-time master's course designed for those with several years of professional experience in real estate or associated business, who have attained a leadership role or are seeking to take up a leadership role. The format permits students to continue with their professional career whilst studying. The course will enhance students’ technical skills and develop a range of other skills to enable them to be agents of change in the real estate industry and beyond.

The aims of the course include:

• enabling students to build their knowledge across a range of disciplines around real estate including finance, investment, economics and planning,
• enabling students to build on previous study and work experience across real estate and related disciplines;
• equipping students to take leadership positions in the industry and develop their understanding of key skills in management, innovation, strategy, negotiation, partnering and risk management;
• providing opportunities to learn from colleagues from different cultures, work backgrounds and with experience from different countries with different social, economic and legal systems;
• providing students with the skills to manage information and resources effectively and to be able to manage their own research; and
• building a passion for research and strategic thinking.

The programme aims to ensure that students have a solid understanding of the end-to-end processes in real estate investment and finance while promoting innovation in real estate by highlighting some of the trends influencing the industry and the opportunities and risks that this will bring. The course breadth is reflected in the topics it addresses, from looking at the high-level drivers of capital flows in real estate and changes in the urban environment to asset management of individual buildings and optimising their performance.

The course has a number of themes running through it that reflect some of the key trends shaping the industry:

• Interaction between the economy and real estate markets
• Geo-politics and its influence on the market
• Risk management and mitigation
• The impact of technological change on real estate
• Sustainable buildings and cities

PhD students in the Department of Radiology will join one of the department's active research themes, which are currently:

• MRI
• Hyperpolarised MRI
• PET
• Imaging in Oncology
• Breast Imaging
• Cardiac imaging
• Prostate imaging
• Image analysis
• Artificial intelligence
• Multinuclear MRI
• Brain imaging
• Kidney imaging
• Neuroradiology

Students will be supervised by an academic in the University Department of Radiology, and may also be co-supervised by a specialist (such as a medical physicist) in the NHS.

The University Department of Radiology is fully integrated into Addenbrooke's Hospital and students will work with both University and NHS specialists in their research area. Being able to work well as part of a team is essential, but students must also be self-motivated and have the initiative to pursue their research independently, albeit under the guidance of their supervisor.

In addition to the research training provided within the department, as part of the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences students will have access to several other courses to widen their experience and to enable them to acquire or develop technical and practical skills. Students are also likely to attend external meetings and conferences, and when their research is sufficiently developed they could be submitting research posters. In exceptional circumstances, a short verbal presentation may be possible, most likely supporting the supervisor.

Students are expected to attend the weekly Radiology Forum lectures which cover all imaging topics and actively participate in the department's Research Seminars. There are also many opportunities for students to attend other lectures and seminars in the department, Addenbrooke's Hospital, elsewhere in the clinical school and further afield in the University.

Depending on the nature of their research, students may be participating in the recruitment of patients onto trials and closely monitoring their progress. If they have the required training, students may also undertake basic procedures, such as taking samples. Interaction with patients will require either an honorary contract or a research passport from the NHS Trust.

The MPhil in Quantitative Climate and Environmental Sciences is a 10-month cross-departmental programme in the School of the Physical Sciences which aims to provide education of the highest quality in the analysis and modelling of Earth's climate and environment at a master’s level. The programme covers a range of skills required for the acquisition and assessment of laboratory and field data, and for the understanding through quantitative modelling of climate and environmental processes.

The course structure has been designed to provide students with the theoretical knowledge, practical experience, and transferable skills required to undertake world-leading quantitative scientific research in Climate and Environmental Sciences. The course will train a new generation of scientists to work with environmental data to address the myriad of challenges associated with climate change. Multidisciplinary skills will be developed through diverse topics addressed in the course combined with a research project which will prepare students for further academic research and careers in many sectors of the economy dealing with climate and environmental impacts.

The course responds to the growing:

• demand for highly trained quantitative research scientists in climate and environmental modelling to better understand global and local climate change and its consequences,
• societal demand to find solutions to climate-related challenges and develop new sustainable technologies,
• importance of interdisciplinary expertise to better respond to the complexity of challenges faced by societies in a changing climate.

The objectives of the course are to give students:

• a deep knowledge in scientific areas related to climate and environmental change,
• a familiarity and facility with acquiring and assessing climate and environmental data,
• a knowledge and practical experience in climate and environmental modelling,
• an awareness of the impacts and possible solutions to climate change.

This course is a three to four-year programme culminating in the submission and examination of a single research thesis. Students joining the course will often have completed prior study at a level comparable to our Part III (MMath/MASt) course and many have postgraduate experience. Our students, therefore, begin their PhD research with a good understanding of advanced material, which they build on in various ways throughout the course of their PhD studies.

Structure of the PhD

Students are required to undertake a minimum of nine full-time terms of research (i.e., three years). Students are not registered for the PhD in the first instance but are instead admitted on a probationary basis. All students are assessed for registration in their fourth term. This assessment is based on a written report of between 15 to 20 pages in length. Students are also required to undertake a discussion of their work with two assessors before being registered for the PhD.

Research areas

Research in DPMMS can be divided into the following broad areas: Algebra, Algebraic Geometry, Analysis and Partial Differential Equations, Combinatorics, Differential Geometry and Topology, Foundations, Number Theory, Information and Finance, Probability, and Statistics. The boundaries between such areas are not rigid, however, and staff may contribute to more than one area.

Additional training and opportunities

Whilst there are no mandatory taught components to the PhD degree, students may wish to undertake specific courses or further training to expand their knowledge, either for personal interest or to directly assist with their PhD research. All students are encouraged to participate in and attend the wide range of lectures, seminars and events on offer within DPMMS and the Centre for Mathematical Sciences.

We intend that our students publish their work in leading journals. Our PhD students might have written several papers before they submit their thesis, and can go on to win academic positions at leading institutions around the world.

DPMMS also promotes and encourages researcher development and transferable skills training. This can take the form of assisting with Part III preparatory workshops, attendance at skills-based training sessions, or presenting work at seminars and conferences. The University also offers training via the Researcher Development Programme.

There is no requirement for PhD students to teach but there are plenty of opportunities to do so, such as offering supervisions for third-year undergraduates (this involves the supervisor sitting with a pair of students for an hour, discussing their work). PhD students might help with running examples classes for Part III students, too.

The MPhil in Public Policy provides an interdisciplinary grounding in public policy theory and practice, with courses spanning from economics and statistics to policy debates and professional skills.

The course is aimed at students who wish to have a leading role in government, companies or NGOs. The blend of theory and practice will help students to understand the mix of hard and soft skills they will need to be effective policy entrepreneurs and students will leave the course having expanded and strengthened their policy analysis and implementation skills.

The MPhil in Public Policy is primarily a professional Master's course.

The Department of Public Health & Primary Care encompasses a broad range of themes (e.g. from Genetic Epidemiology to Behaviour and Health, from Health Services Research to Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology etc) and methods (e.g. quantitative methods, qualitative research, systematic reviews, functional genomics etc). PhD projects are typically available at each of the Units within the Department. Interdisciplinary research is also encouraged, whether within the Department or with other local or international collaborators.

The aim of the PhD course is to provide a sound foundation in study design and conduct, data acquisition and handling, quality issues, statistics, discussion of research ethics, issues of intellectual property, multidisciplinary team working, access to a variety of research settings and dissemination of findings. In addition to standard applications, there are opportunities for PhD training on specific projects throughout the year. The PhD can be undertaken by full-time or part-time study.