Departments
Communication Systems
Head of Department: Professor Garik Markarian
Multidisciplinary in its nature, the Department of Communication Systems is recognised nationally and internationally for its contribution to most areas of communications. Degrees taught reflect the extensive range of Communications subjects. The department is located in the InfoLab21 building, which is Lancaster University's world-class research, development and business centre in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The £15M centre is a well equipped, high tech environment for academic research staff, research students and businesses and provides support for commercialisation activities and opportunities for technology transfer to co-located businesses that will prepare and benefit our students' learning experience and their preparation for a working life.
Staff in DCS are strongly committed to high quality teaching and generating high-level, commercially-aware graduates and young researchers. The Department has an excellent publication record and a tradition of active technology transfer both directly to and from industry, as evidenced by its 2 spin-off companies, and recognition via awards, ongoing sponsorship and collaboration with companies such as Nokia, BAe, QinetiQ, HW Communications and via standardisation bodies such as ETSI. The department's research activity is divided into the following four themes which nevertheless have strong interconnections: Data Protection and Secure Communications, Wireless and Mobile Communications, Space Plasma Environment and Radio Science, and Digital Signal Processing.
Websites
InfoLab21 - The UK's centre of excellence for ICT
Courses
News
Computing
Head of Department: Professor Nigel Davies
One of Europe's premier Computer Science departments with a total research budget of over £10 million funding approximately 130 researchers. Awarded a rating of 5A by the 2001 RAE. Research is clustered around the systems theme, with particular strengths in communications and distributed systems, systems engineering, advanced interactive systems and mobile and ubiquitous computing ('one of only a handful of centres undertaking leading edge systems research' - International Review of Computer Science). Strong emphasis on collaboration both with other departments in the university and with leading organisations world-wide. Lecturing staff is composed entirely of recognised experts in their field.
Websites
InfoLab21 - The UK's centre of excellence for ICT
Courses
News
Engineering
Head of Department: Professor Malcolm Joyce
The department has been at the forefront of engineering research for many years and internationally recognised for it's work in mechatronics, microelectronics, advanced sensor technology, renewable energy and digital systems design. The RAE 2001 awarded the department a rating of 4. Teaching is equally of a high standard with an excellent rating of 22/24 points by the Teaching Quality Assessment. It is top rated in the country for graduate employment success.
Websites
Lancaster Product Development Unit - Lancaster Product Development Unit (LPDU) offers a wide range of business support services for companies throughout the north west of England
Courses
News
Lancaster Environment Centre
Director: Professor Graham Harris
Innovation, training and research for a sustainable future
The Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) is one of the major centres for environmental research in Europe, recognised internationally for its excellence in environmental research, which has the ability to inform policy and impact positively on the regional and national economy.
The LEC comprises academic staff and professional researchers, covering all the biological, physical, chemical and geographical aspects of environmental science. It offers an unrivalled centre of excellence for the teaching and research of the environmental sciences.
Websites
Lancaster Environment Centre - Innovation, training and research for a sustainable future
LEC Courses
News
Mathematics and Statistics
Head of Department: Professor Gordon Blower
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics conducts research in pure mathematics and statistics. Research in statistics includes social and applied statistics, and medical statistics, while postgraduate statistics is particularly vibrant. The department teaches undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in mathematics and statistics, and offers combined degrees in related disciplines. A friendly community, the department has around 300 undergraduate students, 70 postgraduate students, 42 academics and 15 research staff.
Websites
Department Of Mathematics And Statistics - Maths and Statistics' home page
Courses
News
Natural Sciences
Director: Dr Keith Davidson
The Combined Science, Natural Sciences and Combined Technology degree schemes allow the study of three separate subjects for the whole of the degree. At least two of these subjects must be science but there is a choice from about 30 departments for the third subject, thus allowing a predominantly science-based degree to include, for example, a foreign language, management subject or educational studies element. These degree schemes provide a broader scientific base than single subject degrees but are in no way less rigorous. Specific areas of individual science subjects are studied to the same level as for single major students but the Natural Sciences students must demonstrate ability over a range of often diverse subject areas.
These degree schemes cater for those who have a particular career in mind where the ability to combine particular subject combinations will assist such ambitions and improve employability. Equally, they cater for those who have interests and abilities in more than one subject area and who may wish to keep a range of options open for further study or later employment.
Natural Sciences and Combined Science students have the option of spending their second year in North America/Canada.
Websites
Natural Sciences - Natural Sciences home page
Courses
Physics
Head of Department: Professor Peter Ratoff
Physics is studied and taught in an active and vibrant research-led environment at Lancaster, with 23 permanent academic staff, 24 research staff, and normally over 10 academic visitors and 40 postgraduate students from a wide variety of countries.
The Department received the highest possible rating of 5* in the government's latest Research Assessment Exercise (2001)
Research is concentrated on the experimental and theoretical aspects of both Elementary Particle Physics and Condensed Matter Physics, and on other Theoretical Physics. It is supported by about 50 current research grants totalling over £4 million, mostly from PPARC, EPSRC, the Royal Society and the EC. There are numerous funded collaborations with overseas laboratories, including a 1.5 million Euro network involving 12 European institutions, led by Lancaster.
In the last few years members of the Department have gained a Fellowship of the Royal Society, two EPSRC Senior Fellowships, an EPSRC Advanced Fellowship, the Institute of Physics Rutherford Medal, the Simon Memorial Prize and the Charles Vernon Boys Medal and Prize. In terms of the international influence of its research, the Department was recently ranked second in the UK by the ISI of Philadelphia.
Websites
Physics Department - The Physics Department's home page
Courses
News
Psychology
Head of Department: Dr Linden Ball
The excellent research reputation in the department, awarded 5A in RAE 2001, is carried though into its teaching where it has been awarded full marks in every area in the Teaching Quality Assessment. There is a good range of specialist facilities and an innovative programme of research and teaching, some in collaboration with the Department of Computing.
Websites
Psychology Department - The Psychology Department's home page
Undergraduate Psychology - Information on Psychology degrees at Lancaster