I started my PhD knowing what a fulfilling place Sheffield is to study in

Matthew Allcock in a shirt and bow tie sat at a table smiling
Matthew Allcock
PhD student
Supervised by Professor Robertus von Fay-Siebenburgen
After completing his undergraduate degree with a year abroad, Matthew decided to continue his study at Sheffield with a PhD.

Following on from studying my undergraduate mathematics degree at the University of Sheffield, I started my PhD knowing what a fulfilling place Sheffield is to study.

I have always appreciated Sheffield’s proximity to the beautiful Peak District National Park, where I spend my weekends rock climbing, fell running, and hiking. The combination of strong research opportunities and the relaxing outdoor lifestyle is largely what drew me to live here.


A highlight of my PhD has been presenting my work at the European Solar Physics Meeting in Budapest

Matthew Allcock

PhD student


My PhD is in an area of applied maths known as magneto-hydrodynamics; it describes how fluids that conduct electricity move, and is the mathematical language we use to understand the eruptive and evolving plasma on the Sun. I enjoy being able to use interesting mathematics to understand something we see every day, but know surprisingly little about.

A highlight of my PhD has been presenting my work at the European Solar Physics Meeting in Budapest, followed by a unique conference dinner on a boat on the River Danube.

Sheffield has rich opportunities for public outreach of your research. I talked about the surprisingly high risk that large solar ejections will cause significant damage to the UK power grid, in a pub, to people that were more interested in my research than many researchers I meet at conferences!

I have been impressed by the financial scholarships on offer for postgraduate study at the University of Sheffield and I am fortunate to receive funding from the University Prize Scholarship. This, combined with the cheap living costs, outdoor lifestyle, and enthusiastic community, make Sheffield an ideal place for graduate study.

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