International Postgraduate Research Students

Each year we recruit approximately 50 students for higher degrees (PhD and MPhil), a substantial proportion of which are international students. Our postgraduate degrees are based on independent full-time research work, with an academic supervisor to guide you in discovering new and exciting areas of chemistry.

We offer a number of postgraduate research programmes:

• Catalysis in the Cardiff Catalysis Institute (PhD/MPhil)
• Chemical Biology (PhD/MPhil)
• Chemistry (PhD/MPhil)
• Inorganic Chemistry (PhD/MPhil)
• Organic Synthesis (PhD/MPhil)
• Physical Organic Chemistry (PhD/MPhil)
• Solid State Materials (PhD/MPhil)
• Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (PhD/MPhil)

The MPhil is a research-based Masters programme, with typically one year spent in the laboratory and submission of the thesis within two years of starting. The PhD typically involves at least three years' laboratory work and submission of the thesis within four years of starting. Transfer between the two programmes (subject to funding availability) is also possible.

Full details of current tuition fees for our postgraduate research degree schemes are available here.

The School and University offer scholarships to help with the cost of study. Please visit the University International Scholarship page, for more information. You should also check to see if your own government can provide support for your studies in Cardiff.

We welcome applications to our postgraduate research programmes from students with a suitable degree in Chemistry and related disciplines. If you have any queries regarding the suitability of your qualifications, please contact the research admissions tutor (details below).

If English is not your first language, we will also require evidence of your proficiency in English. Full details of acceptable qualifications are available on the University website.

The University also offers numerous English language courses to allow you to develop your skills in this area, or to achieve the level required for entry to degree programmes. These courses run either before or alongside your academic studies. More information can be found on the relevant English Language course webpages.

Ibrahim Saeed (Iraq)

Cardiff University is one of the UK's top universities. Cardiff has lots of on-going activities and is small enough to be friendly yet big enough to offer the best of living in a major city. The University is based in and around Cardiff's elegant civic centre. Academic buildings, student residences, the Students' Union and the city centre are all within a short walk of each other. Cardiff has excellent road and rail links with Britain's other major towns and cities, an international airport, and is just two hours away from the centre of London by rail.

Shaoliang Guan

Studying in Cardiff has been an unforgettable experience in my life. The School of Chemistry is located in the Main Building within the University and makes me feel that all I've been doing will have an important historical meaning in the future. I treasure each moment here in Cardiff to explore cutting edge chemistry. Cardiff is a really nice city in which to live; not too big and not too small. It allows me to either climb mountains in the national park, or enjoy the sea sights down the bay. Life is full of happiness here and I will always remember it.

Jamal Alaboosh (Iraq)

Cardiff is a fantastic city with diversity between the old and the new. Its people are friendly and you will scarcely walk down the street without seeing a smile and friendly faces. There is no religious or ethnic discrimination towards the people in this city and so I love living and studying in Cardiff.

Soon Wen Hoh (Malaysia)

My project uses Cardiff University’s high performance computing system to study problems of industrial relevance. The staff and colleagues in the School of Chemistry are friendly and supportive in many ways, and Cardiff is a diverse city to live in. A hike up the Brecon Beacons or enjoying the tranquil surroundings of Cardiff Bay on the weekend helps me to relax from a long week's work.

Hiwa Omer Ahmad (Kurdistan, Iraq)

Wales is very nice place to live, especially when I visit some of the amazing places around Cardiff every weekend. Also, Cardiff University has great staff and its support centres are focussed towards helping students. As a chemist, the School of Chemistry here at Cardiff University allowed me to develop a better understanding of chemistry. I’m eager to use this knowledge to serve and develop my country Kurdistan as much as I can and to put a stone into the foundation of scientific and economic reconstruction to create a new beginning in Kurdistan.

Ibrahim Wawata (Nigeria)

Cardiff is a city which is full of history, has lovely weather and has close countryside areas such as the Brecon Beacons. The University is a good home for international students, and the School of Chemistry has many students from all over the world. I am a student within the Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI) which is the Centre for Excellence in Catalysis research the UK. The CCI has state of the art equipment which allows the group to undertake research in differing areas of Catalysis, Surface Science and Solid State Chemistry.

Mohamed Hassan (Iraq)

Cardiff is an amazing city with a rich history but also a very modern way of life. There are many beautiful places like Cardiff Bay, Cardiff Castle and the National Museum. Cardiff is very friendly and welcoming, especially in the University where I do not feel like an international student at all! The School of Chemistry is a dynamic and stimulating place to study chemistry and it has supportive staff and an abundance of analytical instruments to use for your postgraduate research.

Ragini Ramdas (India)

I have been part of a project involving academics from Oxford, Birmingham and Cardiff Universities collaborating with Johnson Matthey, a renowned precious metals specialist company. Cardiff has always given me a feeling of ‘home away from home’. It has welcomed me along with many other international students with a lot of warmth. It is a very student friendly city where you can find people from different cultures and traditions coming together to pursue a variety of courses ranging from Art to Science or Business.

Yiji Tang (China)

I recently finished an MSc at Cardiff University, and am now researching a theoretical and computational chemistry project exploring quantum chemical methods for my PhD. I’m applying these methods in computation using the Molpro package. My knowledge of the English language improves daily through interaction with other friendly students and staff within the school.