Page contents > General information for prospective research students | Opportunities for research and the structure of the programme | How to apply
General information for prospective research students
The Mathematics Department of the LSE welcomes applications to study for MPhil and PhD degrees. Informal enquiries about research study in the Department can be e-mailed to PhD@maths.lse.ac.uk|, or addressed to Prof Graham Brightwell, Department of Mathematics, LSE, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE. However, before doing so, please read the information given below, which also contains some useful links to additional information.
The Mathematics Department is well known for its research excellence within its areas of specialization. The focus for research activities in the Department is CDAM: Computational, Discrete and Applicable Mathematics@LSE. Researchers are active in several areas, particularly in those related to discrete and applicable mathematics, financial mathematics and game theory. All staff in the Department were entered for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. 45% of the work submitted to the Pure Mathematics sub-panel was deemed to be either internationally excellent or world-leading (3* or 4*), with almost all the remainder being internationally recognised (2*).
To find out more about the Department and its research, please visit our research page| for information on the research interests of individual members of staff. You can also browse the Mathematics Department web pages: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/maths/Main.aspx|, and look in particular at the Department's Annual Report|, and the many papers in our Research Report Series|.
Financial support for MPhil/PhD study may be available, particularly from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council| (EPSRC) for EU/UK students, and also from the School (applications for EPSRC and LSE funding should be sent directly to the Mathematics Department). Please see the LSE Financial Support Office| web site for further details.
Opportunities for research and the structure of the programme
Supervision for MPhil and PhD research is available in combinatorics, combinatorial optimisation, theory of computation and algorithms, computational learning theory, control theory, financial mathematics, game theory, graph theory, search theory, and in the applications of mathematics in areas such as telecommunications and economics.
New students will be registered for the MPhil initially and will be able to upgrade to PhD registration during the second year dependent on their satisfactory progress.
Students will have access to the comprehensive facilities of the LSE Library and to libraries of other colleges of the University of London. They will also benefit from the School's and the department's computing and information facilities.
All Mathematics PhD students will attend an appropriate taught course or courses provided by either the London Taught Course Centre for PhD students in the mathematical sciences| or the London Graduate School in Mathematical Finance| (dependent on the focus of their research) in their first full year. Students may also be asked to attend one or more courses from our MSc in Applicable Mathematics| or MSc in Financial Mathematics| degree programmes. Training in established research techniques and development of a capacity in the student for original research in the chosen field of specialization is provided through regular one-to-one meetings with the supervisor, as well as through directed reading. The final aim is to produce a thesis and subsequent publications that contribute to the development of and understanding of the chosen area of mathematics.
An important element of the training is participation in the weekly seminars organised by CDAM|. There are also CDAM Lunchtime Seminars| organised largely by and for research students on mathematical subjects; students will be expected to attend and required to contribute at regular intervals.
All research students in the Mathematics Department are provided annually with some additional funding to encourage and support their research activities, such as conference attendance and purchasing books. Students are thus offered a supportive environment so that they feel that they are part of a community of scholars and are well placed to pursue a career building on their research accomplishments.
How to apply
Our entry requirement is at least an MSc in a relevant area of Mathematics or a good four-year degree equivalent to a Masters; exceptionally an excellent undergraduate degree in mathematics, or the equivalent, provided there is evidence of sufficient competence in relevant areas of Mathematics.
Before sending a formal application, we advise prospective students to first find out more about potential supervisors by looking at the list of staff and their interests, which can be found on our research page|, and then to contact those members of staff whose research interests most closely resemble their own to discuss possible research projects, preferably in reasonable detail.
Once an appropriate research topic and supervisor have been identified, prospective students should apply for the PhD formally using the on-line application form| in the LSE Graduate Prospectus|. Further general information on the LSE and its Graduate Courses can be viewed in the Graduate Prospectus| and the specific entry on the Mathematics Department|.
NB: Prospective PhD students who are interested in working in the area of Financial Mathematics are asked to email the Department’s Research Administrator to enquire about the possibility of making a formal application. It is essential that the email includes full academic transcripts covering all study to date, along with a CV and an indication of the specific areas of proposed research. The Research Administrator will forward all emails to the PhD in Financial Mathematics Admissions Team and they will be able to advise if a formal PhD application is appropriate. Please send any emails to Simon Jolly (s.jolly@lse.ac.uk|).
Applicants wishing to be considered for the Department's funding are strongly encouraged to contact the Department, and to submit a formal application, as soon as possible.