Courses and Training

Venue: University of Sheffield

These IRC courses, presented by Professor John Ebdon (JRE) and Dr Barry Hunt (BJH), are designed as an introduction to the subject of polymer science and give an overview of how this applies to a wide range of materials, processes, products and applications. If your company works with plastics, rubbers, adhesives, composites, coatings, fibres or packaging and requires some basic knowledge about polymeric materials, or have a requirement to analyse or characterise their behaviour, then these courses will benefit you.

Basic Polymer Science part I introduces the science underlying the synthesis and processing of polymers. It will provide you with some basic information about polymer structure and properties, and present some examples of their applications.

Basic Polymer Science part II provides an overview of the range of modern instrumental techniques which can be used to analyse the structure and behaviour of polymeric materials. It will give a more detailed and in-depth view of some of the topics briefly presented in part I.

You can attend either of these modules independently, but they are designed to complement one another and to give a comprehensive introduction to Polymer Science.

To register, or for further information, see the links below:

Registration form

Pay online

Further details on all IRC courses

Please contact Shelagh Cowley if you have any questions or would like further information.

Dates to be confirmed.

The Polymer Centre has teamed up with the Materials Technology Unit at Qatar University to offer a five-day training course at the prestigious Qatar Science and Technology Park in Doha.

The course starts with an introduction to the science underlying the synthesis and processing of polymers, including some basic information about their structures and properties, and will present some examples of their applications. You will also learn about some of the modern instrumental techniques that can be used to analyse the structure and behaviour of polymeric materials. Particular attention will be paid to the properties and applications of polymers in various composite materials, to water-soluble polymers, and to aspects of polymer degradation and recycling.

For more information, and to book your place, please see the course website at:

Polymers and Composites course

(Please note changed dates)

This course, presented by Professor John Ebdon and Dr Barry Hunt, is designed as an introduction to the subject of polymer science and gives an overview of how this applies to a wide range of materials, processes, products and applications. If your company works with plastics, rubbers, adhesives, composites, coatings, fibres or packaging and requires some basic knowledge about polymeric materials, or have a requirement to analyse or characterise their behaviour, then this course will benefit you.

The course comprises two one day modules (Basic Polymer Science parts 1 and 2) from the popular IRC modular training course.

For further information see:

Basic Polymer Science

(Booking details to follow)

First announcement: The IRC ten day course is a very popular training event comprising a mixture of core and advanced modules in polymer science and technology. You can choose components suitable for your requirements, from introductions to polymer science and engineering to new topics in soft nanotechnology and polymer electronics:

Dates for the 2010 IRC modular course are 25th October – 5th November 2010.

Further details

The University of Sheffield has just announced a £6 million programme of scholarships to support PhD study commencing in 2010.

The University believes that cost needn’t be a barrier to pursuing a research degree. Each year it invests £6 million to support the best PhD students. And, at Sheffield, students make a real impact. The institution is one of the top ten research universities in the UK, with researchers who constantly push the boundaries of current understanding.

For more information on the support available at the University, please visit the Scholarships website.

University of Sheffield Scholarships

Course Announcement

Confirmed dates and new course programme 26th October – 6th November 2009.

New addition: Organic Electronics – Synthesis, Properties and Application in Devices

Course Programme -  pdf

Our MSc in Polymers for Advanced Technologies is taught by members of The University of Sheffield Polymer Centre. The Centre is an internationally renowned multidisciplinary unit with 150 expert academics and research scientists from the University of Sheffield. The Polymer Centre works on topics at the forefront of polymer science and engineering and the application to polymers in many new and exciting areas – from batteries to visual displays, molecular machines to aircraft wings and genetic engineering to drug delivery and tissue replacement.

For more information, visit the MSc web-page at:

MSc Polymers for Advanced Technologies

Above right: A polarized light image of low-density polyethylene taken after shear-induced crystallization by Oleksandr Mykhaylyk.

The Basic Polymer Science modules (parts I and II) were initially developed at the University of Lancaster, but are now a well established part of the IRC course structure. They offer an excellent (and very popular!) introduction to polymer sciences for employees with backgrounds in other scientific disciplins, enabling them to get to grips with the fundamental science of polymers and contribute more fully in polymer and related industry. Delegates can choose to take either or both modules, at a price of £330 per module.

More details about these courses can be found through the links below:

Basic Polymer Science course part 1 Synthesis, properties and processing, 30th March 2009

Basic Polymer Science course part 2 Characterisation and analysis, 31st March 2009

To register, please complete the registration form linked below, save it to your computer, then either print and post, or email it back to us:

Registration form

If you need any further information, please contact Shelagh
through the link below:

Contact page

Advanced notice – the 2009 IRC course will be held between 26th October – 5th November 2009, at the Novotel Hotel Sheffield.

This very popular modular course, which allows delegates to pick the options of most interest and relevance to them, has been run for a number of years now. Further details can be found on our short courses page:

Short courses in polymer science and technology