MAC-MIGS 2024+
Welcome to the Maxwell Institute Graduate School PhD programme in Modelling, Analysis and Computation (MAC-MIGS 2024+)!
MAC-MICS 2024+ is now open for applications for the 2025 cohort. The start date is September 2025 and the duration of the PhD programme is 4 years.
The Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences brings together research activities in mathematical sciences at Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt Universities. Members of the Maxwell Institute are academics from the School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh and the Departments of Mathematics and of Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics at Heriot-Watt University. The Maxwell Institute builds on the long history of collaboration between the three departments, best exemplified by the establishment and continued operation of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS).
Since 2018, the Maxwell Institute has a physical home on the top floor of the Bayes Centre which it shares with the ICMS, creating a hub for mathematical sciences research, training and applications in central Edinburgh.
The MAC-MIGS 2024+ programme
The MAC-MIGS 2024+ programme offers bespoke, cohort-based training in applied and computational mathematics.
- During the 4-year programme, students will obtain 90 credits worth of training, of which 60 credits should be obtained in Year 1.
- The programme offers specialised, exclusive training including (i) a 15 credit Group Project with an industrial partner in year 1, and (ii) two 15 credit courses on contemporary topics in Applied and Computational Mathematics in semester 1 and semester 2 of year 1.
- The remainder of courses will be chosen from the Scottish Mathematical Sciences Training Centre (SMSTC), as well as advanced courses offered at University of Edinburgh or Heriot-Watt University.
- In addition to taught courses, students will attend weekly Maxwell Institute seminars in applied and computational mathematics.
- Further cohort-building activities and soft skills training will be organised throughout.
- Students have the option of doing an internship as part of the PhD programme. Internships should be arranged for Years 2-4 and are worth 30 credits. Students on the without internship option need to obtain 30 credits by other means.
The students trained on this programme will have expertise in a broad array of modern mathematical methodologies, including for example Bayesian inference, uncertainty quantification, numerical analysis, machine learning, and fluid dynamics, and of their application in multidisciplinary contexts as well as experience of industrial collaboration.
(Please note that the MAC-MIGS 2024+ programme is not part of the MAC-MIGS CDT, which recruited its last intake in September 2023.)
How to apply for the MAC-MIGS 2024+ programme
The application process for the MAC-MIGS 2024+ PhD programme is centred around available research areas/projects, henceforth collectively termed simply as “Projects”.
Each Project designates an academic Supervisor and, in some cases, one or more Co-supervisors.
Each applicant may apply to a maximum of two Projects.
Applicants who are interested in applying for one Project only, they should complete one application form to either University of Edinburgh (UoE) or Heriot-Watt University (HWU), according to the respective university portal at the end of the Project description.
Applicants who are interested in applying for two Projects should fill in one or two application forms, depending on the Projects selected as follows:
- If both Projects designate application to University of Edinburgh, the applicant should complete one application through the UoE application system, mentioning both Projects in the respective section of the application.
- If both Projects designate application to Heriot-Watt University, the applicant should complete one application through the HWU application system, mentioning both Projects in the respective section of the application.
- If the two Projects designate application to different universities, the applicant should complete two applications: one application for each each Project at the Project’s designated University. Moreover, the applicant in the free text/comment section, should also mention the other project (the project at the other university) they are applying for in each application form.
General and application-related enquiries should be directed to: info@mac-migs.ac.uk
Deadline for Applications: 20 January 2025
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview. The interviews are scheduled to take place on the 4th and 5th of February 2025. Applications may reopen in February if not all positions are filled.
PhD awarding institution(s):
- PhD Projects with the whole supervisory team from one institution (i.e. one of UoE, HWU), upon completion, will normally be awarded a PhD Degree from that institution.
- PhD Projects with supervisory team from different institutions, upon completion, may be awarded a joint UoE-HWU PhD Degree (subject to agreement between the supervisors).