New UK Space Agency enabled PhD programme at Kingston University to create the next generation of rocket engineers

A new PhD programme called the Rocketry, Research, Teaching and Training (R2T2) hub, funded by the UKRI on behalf of the UK Space Agency (UKSA), is giving Kingston University students the opportunity to become the rocket engineers of the future. 

The first cohort of students started this January as part of a wider UKSA initiative which sees £4.9 million worth of funding to thirty PhD students over the next three years across ten institutions. The funding aims to ensure that all PhD students have hot fire testing experience and have the skills needed to succeed in the UK space and launch propulsion industry. 

Securing this funding was part of a multi-year process co-led by Associate Professor in Space Technology at Kingston, Dr Peter Shaw, along with colleagues from the University of Glasgow and the University of Sheffield. 

This included writing proposals and lobbying the government and securing support from across the space launch industry from influential business leaders. 

Dr Shaw explained the benefits this funding will have to students studying at Kingston and the space industry as a whole. 

“This UKSA-enabled PhD will give students the chance to combine the intellectual analytical skills that University provides alongside the practical experience you need to succeed in the space industry.

“Kingston has always been recognised as one of the leading universities when it comes to developing talent for the space industry, with alumni present in top leadership roles within the space & launch industry and the lecturers on our aerospace engineering courses all having extensive industry experience.” 

PhD student George Luker explained the benefits of the funding. “The funding is instrumental in supporting my research, providing me with an incredible opportunity I wouldn't have had otherwise. Having the financial support and budget to explore innovative ideas in the sector provides me with an excellent platform to contribute to the future of propulsion engineering.

“Kingston has been absolutely excellent so far. I'm very lucky to be able to conduct research using the unique facilities at Roehampton Vale while being surrounded by a supportive, vibrant community.”

The dedicated engineering campus at Roehampton Vale has its own rocket propulsion test facility which gives undergraduate aerospace engineering students a unique experience in Europe in terms of the practical skills they can gain while studying at the University. 

The facility allows the testing of bi-propellant and hybrid propellant propulsion systems for the in-space and space launch industry, as well as the teaching, research and development of innovative propulsion systems and specialist sensing equipment.

The undergraduate Kingston University Rocket Engineering team (KURE) has also been recognised for their success winning a major award at last year’s Race 2 Space competition, a national competition sponsored by the UKSA and the University of Sheffield. 

The first cohort of PhD students were fully funded by the UKRI with the second cohort being 75 per cent funded while the final cohort will receive 50 per cent funding from the organisation. 

The University has recently been awarded two further PhD scholarships with the aim to recruit them over the summer. 

Any businesses looking to help fund the next generation of the British space industry can email Dr Peter Shaw on [email protected] for more information. 

• Find out more about studying aerospace engineering at Kingston University