Please note that the programme for 2024-2025 is currently under revision. In the meantime, if you would like details of our programme from previous years, please see below.
Our 4-year PhD programme consists of a first year with an emphasis on broadening your mathematical background and developing other relevant skills. You will then spend three years on a research project. The elements offered in the first year are designed to offer a flexible programme, the main goal being to support the transition to research-level mathematics. We expect students with a wide range of backgrounds and shall tailor parts of the first year accordingly. You will be based at UCL in your first year, with lectures and other activities will be spread around all three institutions.
For the research project, you will be advised by a first and second supervisor (who will generally be in different departments). Having agreed a project and supervisor at the end of the first year, you will normally enrol at the university of your first supervisor. The partnership between the Universities requires that at least four students per year are enrolled at each institution. This requirement means that some students may be registered at the institution of their second supervisor.
The main elements of the first year programme are: a residential induction to the programme, topics courses, a programming course, various graduate level courses offered through the London Taught Course Centre (LTCC), the Taught Course Centre (TCC) and directly through the LSGNT, along with project work.
Our latest LSGNT Course Handbook can be viewed here.
The remaining years will be more like a traditional PhD, though we will still run seminars and activities for all students. These may include:
With a pool of 50 supervisors, it is normally straightforward to pair you up with a first and second supervisor who are keen to support your research interests. As with other graduate schools, in some cases it may happen that your first choice of supervisor is not able to take you as their student. In any case, the combined size and strength of the three mathematics departments guarantees that you will find a top-rate research project in the subject of your choice.
Information about the 2019-2020 Number Theory topics course can be found here. For the 2015-16 topics see here.
The London Number Theory Study Group 2023-2024 is organised by Professor Alexei Skorobogatov (Imperial). This academic study group runs from 2.00pm - 3.30pm on a Wednesday. For more information on this study group and its schedule, please see below.
Information about the 2021-2022 Geometry topics course is available here. To see what was covered in the 2019-2020 Geometry topics courses, see here and for 2020-2021, see here.