Doctoral study in Engineering Science

Pursuing a PhD at our University gives you access to a high-calibre research community – you may have the opportunity to publish papers, attend international conferences and develop your network in academia and industry.

Engineering Science research develops and makes use of mathematical and computational models and simulations of complex systems, to gain insight into the behaviour of these systems, enabling better systematic design and decision making.

The research areas we work on include scheduling and rostering, revenue and demand forecasting, logistics, transport modelling, neural engineering, healthcare simulation, geothermal modelling/engineering, applied machine learning, materials processing, investment planning, implantable and wearable devices and genetic engineering.

We welcome research proposals in topics relating to our key areas, including:

• Operations Research, including electricity pricing, transport, healthcare delivery
• Computational Engineering and Computational Mechanics, including reservoir engineering, fluid dynamics, solid mechanics
• Signal Processing, including signal analysis, nonlinear dynamical systems, artificial neural networks
• Inverse modelling, Data Science, Bayesian Statistical analysis of engineering systems
• Neural Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering

Read more about our research expertise

Our staff and researchers work across different research areas and collaborate across different research groups. Some of the specific research groups within Engineering Science, and the staff involved, include:

The Operations Research Group
The Operations Research Group utilises advanced mathematical theory and computational methods to help make better decisions. Operations Research utilises ideas from mathematical modelling, optimisation, simulation, statistical modelling, decisions analysis, and data science to solve complex engineering problems. Research areas include multi-objective optimisation, integer programming, stochastic programming, machine learning, data science and time series analysis. 

• Professor Andy Philpott
• Professor Cameron Walker
• Associate Professor Andrew Mason
• Associate Professor Michael O’Sullivan
• Associate Professor Andrea Raith
• Dr Thomas Adams

The Computational Engineering Research Group
The Computational Engineering and Computational Mechanics Group apply mathematical and computational models to physical engineering problems. Research is carried out through fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, thermal analysis and electromagnetic analysis.

• Professor Mark Battley
• Professor Justin Fernandez
• Professor Piaras Kelly
• Dr Maedeh Amirpour

The Inverse Problems, Uncertainty Quantification and Data-centric Engineering Group
The Inverse Problems, Uncertainty Quantification and Data-centric Engineering Group use a combination of mathematical, statistical and computational tools to analyse and understand complex Engineering systems.

• Dr Oliver Maclaren
• Dr Ru Nicholson

The Signals Processing Research Group
The Signals Processing research group works in the area of signal analysis, nonlinear dynamical systems, artificial neural networks, wavelets, independent component analysis.

• Associate Professor Andreas Kempa-Liehr

The Geothermal Research Group
The Geothermal Research Group develops computational and analytical methods to deepen our understanding of geothermal systems, rising plumes of hot water that are powered by the Earth’s magmatic heat. These systems are found all over the world, including in New Zealand, Iceland, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and the US. The research group analyses how best to use geothermal systems in energy generation. Our expertise includes reservoir and above-ground engineering, geothermal geoscience, and policy and planning.

• Associate Professor Sadiq Zarrouk
• Dr John O’Sullivan

The Neural Engineering Group
The Neural Engineering Group researches Neural Chip Discovery Platforms (in vitro), Advanced Nonlinear Signal & Image Processing, Artificial Neural Networks & Machine Learning and Computational Neuroscience.

• Professor Charles Unsworth

The Bioengineering Research Group
Research is carried out into a range of bioengineering applications. The research is in the main carried out by staff with links to the Auckland Bioengineering Institute. 

• Professor Iain Anderson
• Professor Thor Besier
• Professor Andrew Taberner
• Professor Justin Fernandez
• Professor Martyn Nash
• Professor Poul Nielsen
• Associate Professor Peng Du
• Associate Professor Vinod Suresh
• Dr Bryan Ruddy

• Inverse modelling, data analysis and Bayesian statistics for the prediction of Antarctic ice-sheet melting | Dr Ru Nicholson
• Measure twice, cut once. A two-staged approach to optimising production planning in customised sawmilling | Supervised by Professor Cameron Walker and Associate Professor Michael O’Sullivan Jnr
• Image Recognition and Classification of Biomatter in the Bags Arriving at the Airport | Supervised by Associate Professor Andreas Kempa-Liehr and Professor Cameron Walker
• Optimizing Geothermal Well Planning under Reservoir Uncertainty with Stochastic Programming | Supervised by Dr John O’Sullivan and Professor Andy Philpott
• Stochastic ‘network contagion” modelling of disease spread | Dr Oliver Maclaren
• Novel Decomposition Techniques for Multi-Objective Optimization Problems | Supervised by Associate Professor Andrea Raith and Associate Professor Richard Lusby (DTU)
• Optimising Emissions and Fuel Consumption in Traffic Assignment Models | Supervised by Associate Professor Andrea Raith and Dr Tony Downward
• Improved Service Provision and Optimal Staffing within Emergency Service Operations | Supervised by Associate Professor Andrew Mason and Associate Professor Andrea Raith
• Reactive Transport Modelling of Flow Through Porous and Fractured Media in Geothermal Systems | Supervised by Associate Professor Sadiq Zarrouk and Dr Eylem Kaya
• Inversion of Geothermal Reservoir Models Using the Adjoint Method and Randomized Low-Rank Matrix Approximation Algorithms | Professor Michael O’Sullivan and Dr John O’Sullivan
• Mitigation of coastal wave impacts through innovative engineering and community engagement | Professor Mark Battley
   

There are several scholarships you may be eligible for when you decide to pursue your PhD in Engineering Science, including the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships.

For general student enquiries, please contact the Student Hubs.

If you would like to find out more about studying Engineering Science, you can contact a Postgraduate Adviser.