Ph.D. Scholarships at University of Nottingham

1. Up to 10 PhD positions in Chemistry in a variety of research areas.

Reference       SCI2053

Closing Date  Saturday, 14th May 2022

Department    Chemistry

About the project

We are offering up to 10 PhD positions in Chemistry in a variety of research areas. These scholarships are fully funded for 3.5 years, covering tuition fees and stipend and are open to UK home students.

Contact for queries: Profs. Ross Denton or Andrei Khlobystov.

Project: 

We are offering up to 10 PhD positions in Chemistry in a variety of research areas. These scholarships are fully funded for 3.5 years, covering tuition fees and stipend and are open to UK home students.

 Are you excited about science? Do you want to stretch your horizon beyond traditional areas of Chemistry? Are you ready to embrace cutting-edge research?

If this sounds like you, then we want to hear from you. We have a variety of research projects across the entire range of Materials Chemistry, Synthesis & Catalysis, Biological Chemistry, and Molecular Bonding & Spectroscopy (www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry/research). The vision of our School is focused on developing new science that underpins the delivery of atom-efficient, energy-resilient chemistries that address some of society’s most pressing challenges, ranging from biocatalysis through to materials synthesis to atmospheric reactions. We have built a strong research community that shares this common goal, and our strategy is implemented through four Research Themes that cut across all facets of chemistry: biological, computational, theoretical, materials, instrumentation and analysis, synthesis and catalysis.

Further information and Application

Please submit your application using the link below. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=7qe9Z4D970GskTWEGCkKHrkSeWZ-8qZFn9y076yqS29UMTZGTUcxUU4yU0VURDE1QVJMTDM1NFpBRC4u

Indicate the areas of Chemistry that are of interest to you for a PhD research project so that we can match you with a suitable project and potential supervisors. This call remains open until all positions are filled, and early applications are encouraged.

Find out more about the research in the School of Chemistry

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry/studywithus/postgraduate/postgraduatestudyinchemistry.aspx

Closing date: 

The position will be filled when suitable candidates have been identified.  Early application is strongly encouraged.

Start Date: October 2022

Eligibility for Funding: This is a 3.5 year studentship fully funded for UK candidates 

2.  More sustainable management of oil palm plantations: assessing the effects of different management and restoration strategies on biodiversity

Reference        SCI2064

Closing Date   Saturday, 30th April 2022

Department      Biosciences

Supervisor: Sarah Luke

Secondary Supervisor: Edgar Turner, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge; Helen West, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham

Subject Area: Ecology and conservation

Research Title

More sustainable management of oil palm plantations: assessing the effects of different management and restoration strategies on biodiversity

Research Description

Oil palm has the highest yield per hectare of all vegetable oil crops, and therefore forms a critical component of global food security. However, the expansion of the industry has driven large-scale loss of tropical forest, and associated reductions in biodiversity and increases in carbon emissions. With oil palm currently grown across more than 18 million ha of the tropics, in addition to protecting remaining forest habitat wherever possible, there is a need to support more biodiversity within plantations in order to slow biodiversity loss. However, to maintain necessary food production, and avoid conversion of land to oil palm elsewhere, it is critical that any biodiversity-friendly management options do not reduce yield. 

Maintenance and restoration of riparian buffers beside waterways, and management of within-crop habitat to increase vegetation complexity offer two promising options for boosting biodiversity within plantations without causing substantial declines in production. Based within an established research programme in industrial oil palm plantations in Riau, Indonesia (the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Tropical Agriculture (BEFTA) Programme), this project will consider the effect of plantation management practices – including different options for riparian restoration and understory vegetation management – on biodiversity. 

Working in close collaboration with oil palm industry scientists from Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI), the student will have access to > 8 years of existing data from long-term Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) experiments. These experiments include the BEFTA Understory Vegetation Project in which large-scale manipulations of understory vegetation complexity have been conducted, and the Riparian Ecosystem Restoration in Tropical Agriculture (RERTA) Project which tests different options for habitat restoration. Available data include environmental conditions, occurrence of a range of plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate taxa, and yield, and will allow the student to explore a range of questions related to management options, biodiversity, and production, whilst also making the project resilient to the impacts of COVID-related travel restrictions. In addition to existing data, we plan for the student to travel to Indonesia to collect data. This will include replicate sampling of taxa already being surveyed as part of the project, and could also include surveys of additional taxa, depending on the interests of the student. 

During the PhD, the student will develop skills in tropical ecology, agronomy, experimental design, field-based data collection, and a range of statistical analyses. They will also have the opportunity to engage with and gain feedback from a range of oil palm growers and industry scientists to develop greater understanding of the complexities of sustainable management of oil palm. Results from this project will give valuable new insights into landscape-scale management options for maximising biodiversity in oil palm systems, whilst also providing novel ecological data on interactions between environmental factors and biodiversity in human-modified systems. 

Through the BEFTA Programme’s strong existing collaborations with SMARTRI and IPB University (Bogor, Indonesia), and oil palm sustainability organisations such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), findings from the project will be shared directly with growers and policy makers. Development of sustainable management of biodiversity in oil palm – the world’s most important vegetable oil crop – will help to develop more sustainable agriculture and long-term food security. Suggested reading: Hood et al. 2019 - doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00051 Luke et al. 2019 - doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13280 Hood et al. 2020 - doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2020.07.002 Luke et al. 2020 - doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00075 oilpalmbiodiversity.com

Award Start Date: 01/10/2022

Duration of Award: 36 months

Terms and Conditions

The PhD is funded for 36 months with a further (unfunded) year allowed to write up of the project. Funding consists of a stipend paid at UKRI rates (currently £15609 pa), tuition fees, and up to £4000 pa to cover research costs (e.g., travel for fieldwork and equipment). Owing to funding constraints for tuition fees, this opportunity is only available to UK students.

Applicant Qualification Requirements

Applicants should have a demonstrable interest in ecology, conservation, or environmental sciences. They should hold, or be expected to obtain, a minimum of a UK Honours degree at 2:1 (or equivalent) in a biological or environmental science subject, and also meet the University’s requirements for English proficiency. Candidates with an additional qualification (i.e. Masters) will be looked on favourably. Experience of fieldwork, and ability and willingness to spend extended periods of time in the field in Indonesia are essential. Experience of conducting independent research projects, analysing ecological data, working in the tropics, and working in an agricultural context are desirable.

How to Apply

Please submit a short research proposal (max 2 pages, minimum font size 11) and a curriculum vitae (CV, no page limit) to Sarah Luke (sarah.luke@nottingham.ac.uk). The research proposal should explain your ideas for how you would carry out this project, and why you feel that you are a suitable candidate. Using the project description and suggested references in this advert as a starting point (plus additional literature, if you wish), you should aim to demonstrate your understanding of the topic, your ideas for how this could be developed, as well as showcasing the skills/experience you would bring to the project that would support its successful delivery. 

Although it will not necessarily be possible to carry out all your suggested ideas if you are awarded the PhD, and the exact details of the project will be decided collaboratively later, you should still aim to make your proposal realistic and achievable within the project scope outlined in the advert, and a good fit for the topic described. The proposal should include a section giving background on the topic (‘Background’), suggestions for aims/questions that you will focus on in the project (‘Aims’), details of the site/experiment set-up and methods you will use to address your aims/questions (‘Methods’), a brief statement about the possible impact of the work (‘Impact’), a short description of why you feel that you are a good fit for the completing the project (‘Track record’), and references for the literature you have cited (‘References’). 

Applicants will be shortlisted based on their CV and Research Proposal submissions. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview. Please contact Sarah Luke if you would like any more information about any of this, and if you would like to discuss ideas

3.  Identifying barriers to sustainable diet uptake among motivated consumers to stimulate behavioural change

Reference          SCI2071

Closing Date    Tuesday, 31st May 2022

Department       Biosciences

Supervisor:        Dr Stacia Stetkiewicz

Secondary Supervisor: Dr Christina Siettou

Research Description

In this PhD you will identify barriers preventing the uptake of sustainable diets among motivated consumers. Your results will help to inform agrifood businesses, policy makers, and NGOs working along the food supply chain to stimulate more sustainable food behaviours. An estimated 60% of UK consumers are interested in making dietary changes to increase the sustainability of their food choices, but 71% of consumers say there are barriers to changing their behaviour. A number of known barriers exist which prevent people from taking up more sustainable food behaviours, such as costs, societal pressure, lack of knowledge, and time pressure. However, it is not known which barriers are most problematic for those with already high levels of motivation to make this behaviour change, nor how these may vary within the population. Using the COM-B behaviour change framework, this project will focus on barriers to capability and opportunity among motivated UK consumers in order to identify potential leverage points for sustainable diets. 

This project will use a mix of systematic literature review, focus group, and survey data to identify important barriers to action with input from stakeholders. The results from this PhD will inform research and policy in the area of sustainable food choices and allow for scaling up and testing of key behaviour change interventions. The candidate should have an undergraduate degree in a related subject (agriculture, food systems, environmental sciences, social sciences, etc.) or a first degree in an unrelated subject and equivalent work experience of relevance to the topic. In either case a classification of 2:1 or higher (or equivalent) is required. A deep and demonstrable interest in sustainable food is necessary. Experience with literature reviews, quantitative surveys, or focus groups would be an advantage, as would a masters degree or work experience in a relevant area. This PhD will sit within the division of Agriculture & Environment at the University of Nottingham, and benefit from the division’s interdisciplinary expertise and a range of training and development opportunities.

Award Start Date: 01/10/2022

Duration of Award: 36 months

Terms and Conditions

This research studentship includes payment of UK tuition fees and a tax-free stipend based on BBSRC rates (currently £16,062 per year).

Applicant Qualification Requirements

Undergraduate degree (2:1 or higher)

How to Apply

Please submit your two page CV and cover letter (including two references) by email to stacia.stetkiewicz@nottingham.ac.uk by May 31st at 5pm BST.

5. PhD Studentship: Machine learning for sustainable chemistry

Reference         SCI2047

Closing Date   Sunday, 10th April 2022

Department      Chemistry

Applications are invited for a PhD Studentship, starting September 2022, in the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. This project will focus on the development of new interpretable and interactive machine learning models and data-driven strategies for predicting consensus green chemistry metrics, enabling researchers to make AI-augmented rational assessments of different chemical synthetic routes. 

The project will be supervised by Jonathan Hirst and is part of a major new award from the Royal Academy of Engineering Chairs in Emerging Technologies scheme. The project, will involve close collaboration with a range of synthetic chemists with a specific focus on green and sustainable chemistry, via the EPSRC-funded Prosperity Partnership “Accelerated Discovery and Development of New Medicines: Prosperity Partnership for a Healthier Nation” and the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in “Sustainable Chemistry: Atoms-2-Products an Integrated Approach to Sustainable Chemistry”. The project will provide a range of experience in computer programming and the development and application of machine learning algorithms to chemistry. 

Funding notes: The studentship is fully-funded for 36 months. Stipend at the RCUK rate (currently £15,609 per annum) and tuition fees will be paid at the UK rate. International students will have to pay the difference between UK and international fees. 

Entry requirements: Applicants should have, or expected to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent if from other countries) in Chemistry or a related subject. A MChem/MSc-4-year integrated Masters, a BSc + MSc or a BSc with substantial research experience will be highly advantageous. Experience in computer programming will also be beneficial.

If English is not the candidate’s first language, they must provide evidence before the beginning of the studentship that they meet the University minimum English Language requirements (IELTS 6.0 with at least 5.5 in each element).

Deadline: review of applications will start on Monday 14th March, 2022, and the position will be filled as soon as a suitable person has been found; hence you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

To apply, students should initially contact Professor Hirst, Email: jonathan.hirst@nottingham.ac.uk , after which a formal application can be made via the University web site at: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/how-to-apply/apply-online.aspx.

6. PhD Studentship: Atmospheric Chemistry of Peroxy Radicals

Reference        SCI2049

Closing Date   Saturday, 28th May 2022

Department     Chemistry

A fully-funded 3½ year PhD studentship (starting in September 2022) is available in the Atmospheric Chemistry research group (rcpchem.com) at the University of Nottingham. The group is based in the School of Chemistry, University Park, Nottingham.

Research in the Atmospheric Chemistry group looks broadly into photochemistry of molecules/radicals in the atmosphere. The 21st century will see one of the largest changes in the chemical makeup of the atmosphere as the countries around the world implement policies to meet the target of net zero emissions. The research in the group aims to understand the new chemistry, particularly autoxidation of peroxy radicals, that are predicted to become dominant in these new environments. 

The successful candidate will setup a new laser photolysis apparatus based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy to directly study peroxy radical reactions. Various routes will be explored to generate peroxy radicals in the apparatus, including synthesis of new precursors, in collaboration with organic chemistry colleagues in the School of Chemistry. Results obtained from these studies such as rate coefficients, quantum yields, and absorption cross sections will be used in the computer models of the atmosphere in collaboration with modelling partners at Bristol and Cambridge.   

The proposed research will provide advanced training in a range of areas of analytical and physical chemistry including laser instrumentation, spectral analysis and kinetic simulations. The student will develop additional skills through participation in group meetings, as well as attending seminars that are regularly held in the School of Chemistry. 

Applications are invited from candidates who have, or who are expecting to obtain, a first Class or 2:1 chemistry degree. (A MChem/MSci-4-year integrated Masters, a BSc + MSc or a BSc with substantial research experience will be highly advantageous) Experience in laser instrumentation and programming languages such as LabView will also be beneficial. 

To apply, students should initially contact Dr Rabi Chhantyal Pun (r.chhantyalpun@nottingham.ac.uk), after which a formal application can be made via the University web site at: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/how-to-apply/apply-online.aspx. 

Funding Notes: Fully funded 3½ year PhD studentship available to UK Home students. Tuition fees paid and full stipend, tax-free, for 42 months at the RCUK rate (currently £15,609 per annum).

7. Network Rail Fully Funded PhD Studentship – Modelling Bridge Deterioration and Maintenance

Reference             ENG1538

Closing Date        Tuesday, 21st June 2022

Department          Civil Engineering

Research Group:  Resilience Engineering 

Applications are invited for this 3.5 year PhD project, from suitably qualified graduates to work in the Resilience Engineering Research Group, based in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park. The University of Nottingham has worked with Network Rail, as its Strategic University Partner in Infrastructure Asset Management, for over 10 years and our Research Group specialises in the development of models to support the asset management process.  

Background:

The maintenance of the existing railway infrastructure, in particular its bridges, are a significant investment to Network Rail at £2 Billion every five years. Maximizing the benefits of those investments and, consequently, reducing the need for future spending is critical to ensure the medium and long term sustainability of the UK rail network.

In order to identify optimal policies, it is critical to be able to accurately model the deterioration process of bridges but also the impact of multiple maintenance actions. This will allow the prediction of short and medium term investment requirements, allow the comparison of different maintenance strategies at asset and network level, and support the identification of optimal maintenance strategies.

The Project: 

This project will deliver a novel approach to the modelling of deterioration and maintenance of bridges, considering each bridge as a system composed by multiple correlated elements (e.g, girders, piers, foundations). Considering the bridge as a system allows two significant enhancements to existing models: (i) define and optimise maintenance actions at a system (e.g. bridge) level, and (ii) account for the correlation between the deterioration of different elements within a bridge.

These models will be developed using the methodology co-developed by the University of Nottingham and Network Rail and thus will allow: (i) the incorporation of local environmental effects, and (ii) model the effect of multiple deterioration modes and the relation between the rate of deterioration and the observed condition.

The models will be calibrated to data collected by Network Rail using the methodology developed by the proponents. The output of the project will be a multi-element life-cycle modelling framework that is designed to be integrated with existing Network Rail Tier 1 models.

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The funding available will cover UK PhD tuition fees plus a tax-free stipend for three and a half years, starting at £15,999 pa.  International students are welcome to apply with their own funding. The successful candidate will have (or will be about to receive) at least an upper second class degree in mathematics, engineering, physics or computer science with strong skills in modelling.

For further information, or to discuss this opportunity in more detail, please contact Dr Luis Neves luis.neves@nottingham.ac.uk

This post will remain open until filled.

8.  Network Rail Fully Funded PhD Studentship – An optimisation approach for railway network recovery actions in response to disruptions

Reference       ENG1539

Closing Date  Tuesday, 21st June 2022

Department    Civil Engineering

Research Group:  Resilience Engineering 

Applications are invited for this 3.5 year PhD project, from suitably qualified graduates to work in the Resilience Engineering Research Group, based in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park. The University of Nottingham has worked with Network Rail, as its Strategic University Partner in Infrastructure Asset Management, for over 10 years and our Research Group specialises in the development of models to support the asset management process.  

Background:

The UK’s Rail Technical Strategy (RTS) 2020 sets a 20-year vision for railway service quality with a focus on being safe, reliable and resilient, as well as meeting capacity and service requirements, through innovation and technology. This is a major challenge, when in addition to component and system failures, and human errors, modern railways are now also subject to a range of additional threats, such as cyber-attacks, natural hazards, and climate change. All such disruptions create a major challenge for delivering safe, reliable and resilient service to passengers where a rapid recovery becomes of great importance in service delivery and passenger experience. 

The Project:

The current practice to choose a recovery action after a disruption is based on pre-written contingency plans and, to some degree, relies on controller judgement without the ability to explore a variety of options automatically. Such complex decisions need to consider several different factors, such as the location of the disruption on the network, the current timetable, the level of perturbation in the network, etc. To ensure an effective and quick recovery plan, the controller needs to make a decision about which trains should be cancelled, rerouted, terminated short of the planned terminus, or regulated in a different way to minimise the disruption. The best decision is the one which delivers the least impact on train performance, and this can be measured in different ways, e.g. the amount of reactionary delay, cancellations or on time failures, or the count of trains or passengers affected. There is a clear need to be able to explore this large variety of options and factors in an automated way for a better-informed decision-making process to recover after a disruption. 

The project will focus on developing a methodology to investigate the best recovery actions in response to a disruption. The methodology will explore a range of decision options based on the properties of the disruption and priority criteria of the controller. The ambition of the project is how to evaluate a range of best strategies and support the decision-making process. 

Potential candidates for the proposed methodology include the methods of discrete event simulation, network vulnerability analysis and multi-objective optimisation, supported by data mining techniques, such as machine learning and neural network approaches. 

The funding available will cover UK PhD tuition fees plus a tax-free stipend for three and a half years, starting at £15,999 pa.  International students are welcome to apply with their own funding. The successful candidate will have (or will be about to receive) at least an upper second class degree in mathematics, engineering, physics or computer science with strong skills in modelling.

For further information, or to discuss this opportunity in more detail, please contact Dr Rasa Remenyte- Prescott r.remenyte-prescott@nottingham.ac.uk

This post will remain open until filled.

9. PhD Studentship: The effect of surfactant on liquid film flow over a corrugated wall

Reference SCI2069

Closing Date  Monday, 30th May 2022

Department    Computer Science

Supervised by Dr Anna Kalogirou

This project will be based at the University of Nottingham in the School of Mathematical Sciences.

When a thin layer of liquid flows down a wall, its surface can deform due to the action of physical forces such as gravity and surface tension, or in response to externally imposed factors such as electric fields, wall surface irregularities etc. The latter can be a useful tool to engineer desired liquid film structures (e.g. smooth or rippled films) depending on particular practical applications, for instance coating technologies or heat exchangers. Flow-manipulation techniques also include the use of chemical additives known as surfactants, which can greatly affect the behaviour of film flows, thereby providing a means of achieving appropriate surface shapes. 

This project will consider a thin film flow over a patterned wall and the primary aim will be to investigate the deforming influence of surfactants on the profile of the film surface. Previous research analysed the flow of a clean (surfactant-free) liquid down a corrugated wall or surfactant-laden film flow over a smooth wall; here, the interacting effects of surfactant and bottom topography to the deformation of the free surface will be examined. The project will combine analytical and numerical techniques with aim to develop, analyse and solve appropriate mathematical models for the study of liquid film flow with surfactants over a topographically structured wall.

Relevant publications: [1] Kalliadasis, S., Bielarz, C. and Homsy, G. M. (2000) Steady free-surface thin-film flows over topography. Phys. Fluids 12 (8), 1889–1898. 

[2] C. Pozrikidis (2003). Effect of surfactants on film flow down a periodic wall. J. Fluid Mech. 496, 105–127. 

[3] H. Luo and C. Pozrikidis (2007) Gravity-driven film flow down an inclined wall with three-dimensional corrugations. Acta Mechanica 188, 209–225. 

Subject Areas: Applied Mathematics, Fluid Dynamics

Funding Notes: Competition funded project open to European/UK students only. Tuition Fees will be paid, and a full stipend provided at the RCUK rate (£15,285 per annum for 2020/21). There will also be some funds available to support conference attendance. The scholarship length will be 3.5 years. 

Eligibility/Entry Requirements: We require an enthusiastic graduate with a 1st class degree in Mathematics, preferably at MMath/MSc level, or an equivalent overseas qualification (in exceptional circumstances a 2:1 class degree, or equivalent, can be considered). 

It is highly desirable that the successful applicant is familiar with one or several of the following topics: fluid mechanics, mathematical modelling, asymptotic analysis, PDEs, numerical methods. While experience with more than one of the aforementioned mathematical fields would be beneficial, the willingness to learn and engage with all of them is an absolute necessity. The project requires the student to have experience with a scientific computing software package or programming language such as MATLAB, Fortran and/or Python.

For any enquiries please email Anna.Kalogirou@nottingham.ac.uk.

This studentship is open until filled. Early application is strongly encouraged.

10. Fully funded 4 year interdisciplinary PhD in Human-Robot Interaction

Reference   SCI2070

Closing Date  Monday, 9th May 2022

Department    Computer Science

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Creating Our Lives in Data (Horizon CDT)

University of Nottingham

Locations: Nottingham

Salary: Enhanced PhD stipend £18,069 per annum (2022/23)

We are seeking an outstanding candidate to undertake an interdisciplinary PhD studentship in human-robot interaction commencing September 2022.   You should have a background in Computer Science, Human Factors, Engineering, Psychology or similar, with an excellent first degree and an enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research and robotics.  You must have experience with programming (machine learning and robotics knowledge is desirable) and a strong interest in conducting user studies.

Application deadlines: 25th April 2022 (international applicants); 9th May 2022 (home applicants) 

(A very limited number of international studentships are available for 2022 entry). 

Available themes

Long-term autonomy and behavioural robustness in domestic service robots

Improving robotic teleoperation through human-robot interaction and robotic autonomy.

The use of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Live Creative Installations

For full details see Current Opportunities section of the Horizon CDT website.

About the Horizon CDT 

Our EPSRC funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Creating Our Lives in Data is establishing technologies and methods to enable producers and consumers in the Digital Economy to co-create smarter products in smarter ways, re-establishing trust in the use of personal data. Smarter products combine physical and digital technologies to deliver personalised blends of goods, services and user experiences. These are made through co-creation and data creativity in which consumers actively engage in shaping the products they use.

The Centre brings together leading figures from computing and engineering as well as the social sciences, business and humanities from the University of Nottingham; plus researchers from the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility at De Montfort University. We are co-funded by EPSRC and over 40 industry, third sector and international partners.

Our innovative four year PhD programme combines research, technical and professional skills training, a placement with a partner organisation, and opportunities for international exchanges.  The programme is led by Director Professor Steve Benford, previously an EPSRC Dream Fellow, Visiting Researcher at Microsoft, the BBC’s first Visiting Professor, and the recipient of four BAFTA nominations; and Deputy Director Dr Nicholas Watson, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering.

Our students are innovating applications across sectors including consumer goods, creative industries, high value products, and health and wellbeing – seeking out new synergies between them. We do not expect every student to be an expert in all of the areas mentioned above; our aim is to train people to work in transdisciplinary teams, ready to become future leaders in industry, the third sector and academia.

You will benefit from:

A fully-funded four year PhD programme that integrates a leading-edge research project with research training in transdisciplinary skills.

An enhanced stipend £18,069 per annum (for 2022/23).

An external/industry partner to help embed your research in the real world.

Placement with a partner organisation and opportunities for international exchange.

Being part of a cohort of high achieving PhD researchers.

A world class research environment with a track record of 75+ Horizon CDT graduates to date.

Developing highly sought after interdisciplinary skills and experience.

To apply please visit-  https://cdt.horizon.ac.uk/  

12. Rolls-Royce sponsored PhD scholarship – Design and simulation of stiffness-adjustable robotic systems for performing on-wing repair of aero-engines

Reference  ENG1318X1

Closing Date   Monday, 23rd May 2022

Department      Engineering

Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in manufacturing and On-Wing Technology

Applicants are invited to undertake a 3 year PhD programme in partnership with industry to address key challenges in on-platform manufacturing engineering. The successful candidate will be based at The Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing and On-Wing Technology at University of Nottingham.

This project is in relation to the technical needs of Rolls-Royce to develop automatic and hybrid tooling solutions to enable in-situ/on-wing repair and maintenance of gas turbine engines.

At the Rolls-Royce UTC at University of Nottingham we have developed robotic systems capable to navigate into crammed/hazardous environments, and perform inspection and active operations such as machining. This is driven by the need to complete repair tasks without disassembly of industrial installations.

Both systems can be coupled to result into hybrid robots having ability to both walk/navigate and then perform tasks with end-effectors attached to both hexapod and continuum arm sub-systems, as shown in the link below: mediaspace.nottingham.ac.uk/media/MiniRoboMach/1_p6wvvkyl.

At the Rolls-Royce UTC we have developed a unique capability to design, model and realise our own robotic systems to perform tasks within restrictive environments.

This project builds on these research/industrial successes and proposes control solutions for automated robotic systems capable to be teleoperated using smart human-machine interfaces.

This is an exciting PhD project that has a combination of academic and industrial challenges which will enhance the student’s ability to tackle complex intellectual and practical aspects of mechatronics/control and manufacturing.

We are seeking talented candidates with:

•First or upper second class degree in mechanical/mechatronics/robotics/cybernetics or related scientific discipline. 

•First rate analytical and numerical skills, with a well-rounded academic background.

•Demonstrated ability to develop precision mechanical devices/mechatronics

•Ability to develop kinematic and/or dynamic analysis of mechanical/robotic systems

•Ability to use finite element modelling and to simulate of complex mechatronics and

•Ability to implement control and kinematics with hardware-in-the–loop

•Background with relevant packages, (CREO/SOLIDWORKS, ANSYS/ABAQUS, MATLAB)

•A driven, professional and self-dependent work attitude is essential

•Experience of working within industry will be an advantage

•The ability to produce high quality presentations and written reports

This is an excellent opportunity to work on a novel robotic system with strong links to industrial applications and key skills and knowledge in preparation for a high-impact, high-technology research or industrial career.

Funding Notes

The scholarship on offer comprises a tax-free stipend of over £15,000 a year; tuition fees paid and a generous study package.

Interested in this studentships? To find if you are a suitable and eligible candidate contact Prof Dragos Axinte. Do not submit your application via the My Nottingham platform without having contacted our team first. 

Please contact the UTC director, Prof Dragos Axinte, for further information.

Email: dragos.axinte@nottingham.ac.uk Tel: 011595 14117

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and notified.

13. Microstructural and surface integrity in machining of specialist composite materials for next generation aero-engine applications

Reference         ENG1317X1

Closing Date    Monday, 23rd May 2022

Department       Engineering

Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in manufacturing and On-Wing Technology, The University of Nottingham. 

Applicants are invited to undertake a 3-year PhD programme in partnership with industry to address key challenges in manufacturing engineering. The successful candidate will be based at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing and On-Wing Technology at The University of Nottingham. Having state-of-the-art, purpose built facilities, the UTC offers a world-class environment for the realisation of high-impact research projects.

The Rolls-Royce funded Studentship is the result of the expanding machining activities sponsored at the Rolls-Royce UTC dealing with in-depth investigations of the response of difficult-to-cut materials to various machining operations in the scope of robust manufacture of safety critical aero-engine components.

The project will seek an understanding of the microstructural changes during machining of anisotropic, heterogeneous and semi-brittle composite materials for high temperature applications used in the latest generations of civil and military aero-engines. This will involve using performance monitoring techniques during the machining such as dynamometers, high-speed imaging systems, accelerometers and acoustic emissions sensors that are complemented by advanced material characterisation techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), 3D optical profilometry and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD).

This project will also involve an analytical/numerical modelling of the material micro-mechanical behaviour during the machining process with the aim of understanding and predicting the surface integrity and mechanisms of material damage (i.e. fibre pull out, delamination, crack formation or local deformations). Internationally recognised Rolls-Royce specialists in the field will be available throughout the project to provide the PhD student with support and guidance if required.

For mutual interest the project can be offered as a "package" - this will include:

•Appropriate training within Rolls-Royce for a period to be agreed. The training will enable the understanding of the technical issues related to the project, as well as developing a good partnership with the appropriate technical teams.

•Joint academic and industrial supervision. In this way, the student will develop both academic and industrial skills with multiple career opportunities at the end of the PhD study.

This is an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic first or upper second class graduate in mechanical/manufacturing/materials science/physics to develop strong knowledge in both manufacturing and material science while building strong relationships with both academic and industrial areas at an international level.

Funding Notes

For PhD students wishing to pursue an academic career, the opportunity to participate in teaching activities will be sought.

The scholarship on offer comprises a tax-free stipend of over £15,000 a year; tuition fees paid and a generous study package.

Interested in this studentships? To find if you are a suitable and eligible candidate contact Prof Dragos Axinte. Do not submit your application via the My Nottingham platform without having contacted our team first.

Informal enquiries may be also addressed to Prof. D. Axinte, Director of Rolls-Royce UTC, tel: 0115 951 4117 or Email: Dragos.Axinte@Nottingham.ac.uk.

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and notified.

14.  Rolls-Royce sponsored PhD scholarship – Mechatronics system for hybrid manufacturing processing

Reference    ENG1316X1

Closing Date     Monday, 23rd May 2022

Department         Engineering

Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing and On-Wing Technology, The University of Nottingham.

Applicants are invited to undertake a 3 year PhD program in partnership with industry to address key challenges in on-platform manufacturing engineering. The successful candidate will be based at The Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing and On-Wing Technology at University of Nottingham.

At the Rolls-Royce UTC, we are developing the next generation of robots and its sensing solutions to perform tasks in challenging working environments.

This project is related to the development of smart mechanisms and sensing to support the aforementioned tasks with the following actions:

•Develop the principles and theories for governing the scalability principles for building foldable and reconfigurable end-effectors that are able to access geometrically complex workspaces under positional restrictions.

•Develop smart control algorithms that will allow the end-effectors to communicate with the central control system and coordinate tasks with other end-effectors and host robots.

•Smart sensing systems to support automated manufacturing and maintenance, repair & overhaul. We refer here not only to conventional sensing, e.g. vision, orientation, that are commonly integrated on the end-effectors, but on advanced (e.g. tactile, sound-based, shape) solutions that enhance the perception of the end-effectors so that versatile tasks can be performed.

We are seeking talented candidates with:

•First or upper second class degree in Robotics/Mechanical/Cybernetics/Mechatronics /Computer Science or related scientific discipline.

•First rate analytical and numerical skills, with a well-rounded academic background.

•Demonstrated ability to develop precision mechatronics system and algorithm

•Ability to develop kinematic and/or dynamic analysis of mechanical/robotic systems

•Ability to implement control and kinematics with hardware-in-the–loop

•Background with relevant packages, (MATLAB, SolidWorks/Creo, ROS/ OpenCV/ python, LabVIEW/C languages)

•A driven, professional and self-dependent work attitude is essential

•Experience of working within industry will be an advantage

•The ability to produce high quality presentations and written reports

This is an excellent opportunity to work on a novel mechatronics system with strong links to industrial applications and key skills and knowledge in preparation for a high-impact, high-technology research or industrial career

Funding Notes

The scholarship on offer comprises a tax-free stipend of over £15,000 a year; tuition fees paid and a generous study package.

Interested in this studentships? To find if you are a suitable and eligible candidate contact Prof Dragos Axinte. Do not submit your application via the My Nottingham platform without having contacted our team first.

Please contact the UTC director, Prof Dragos Axinte, for further information.

Email: dragos.axinte@nottingham.ac.uk Tel: 011595 14117

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and notified.

15.  Rolls-Royce sponsored PhD scholarship – Computer vision and robot control for performing on-wing repair of aero-engines

Reference  ENG1398

Closing Date   Monday, 23rd May 2022

Department      Engineering

Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in manufacturing and On-Wing Technology, The University of Nottingham.

Applicants are invited to undertake a 3 year PhD programme in partnership with industry to address key challenges in on-platform manufacturing engineering. The successful candidate will be based at The Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing and On-Wing Technology at University of Nottingham. 

This project is in relation to the technical needs of Rolls-Royce to develop smart and robotic solutions to enable in-situ/on-wing repair and maintenance of gas turbine engines. 

At the Rolls-Royce UTC at University of Nottingham we have developed robotic systems capable to navigate into crammed/hazardous environments and perform inspection and active operations such as machining. This is driven by the need to complete repair tasks without disassembly of industrial installations. We developed a series of continuum robots in both short and long versions. 

At the Rolls-Royce UTC we are developing the next generation of continuum robots and other robotic solutions to perform tasks within restrictive environments.

This project builds on these research/industrial successes and proposes computer vison and control solutions for automated robotic systems capable to be tele-operated using smart human-machine interfaces.

This is an exciting PhD project that has a combination of academic and industrial challenges which will enhance the student’s ability to tackle complex intellectual and practical aspects of computer vision and robotics. 

We are seeking talented candidates with:

◾First or upper second class degree in Robotics/Computer Science/Cybernetics/Mechatronics/Mechanical or related scientific discipline.

◾First rate analytical and numerical skills, with a well-rounded academic background.

◾Demonstrated ability to develop precision mechatronics system and algorithm

◾Ability to develop kinematic and/or dynamic analysis of mechanical/robotic systems

◾Ability to implement control and kinematics with hardware-in-the–loop

◾Background with relevant packages, (MATLAB, ROS/ OpenCV/ python, LabVIEW/C languages)

◾A driven, professional and self-dependent work attitude is essential

◾Experience of working within industry will be an advantage

◾The ability to produce high quality presentations and written reports

This is an excellent opportunity to work on a novel robotic system with strong links to industrial applications and key skills and knowledge in preparation for a high-impact, high-technology research or industrial career.

Funding Notes 

The scholarship on offer comprises a tax-free stipend of over £15,000 a year; tuition fees paid and a generous study package.

For PhD students wishing to pursue an academic career, the opportunity to participate in teaching activities will be sought.

Interested in this studentships? To find if you are a suitable and eligible candidate contact Prof Dragos Axinte. Do not submit your application via the My Nottingham platform without having contacted our team first. 

Please contact the UTC director, Prof Dragos Axinte, for further information.

Email: dragos.axinte@nottingham.ac.uk Tel: 011595 14117 

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and notified.

16.  Rolls-Royce sponsored PhD scholarship – Laser Beam Processing of Aerospace Materials

Reference        ENG1408

Closing Date   Monday, 23rd May 2022

Department     Engineering

Applications are invited to undertake a 3 year PhD programme in partnership with industry to address key challenges in manufacturing engineering. The successful candidate will be based at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing and On-Wing Technology at The University of Nottingham. 

We are seeking applicants for an anticipated October 2021 start, or earlier (depending on the candidate availability, on a project with Rolls-Royce plc. The Rolls-Royce funded Studentship is the result of the expanding its on-platform repair activities sponsored at the Rolls-Royce UTC dealing with investigations on development of the bespoke high-tech laser beam processing methods for surface treatment and repair of aeroengine components.

The project will deal with study of a new laser processing method to enable in-situ surface treatment and repair of safety critical rotating parts and further understand the correlation between surface quality, metallurgical characteristics and functional performance of the components and the key process parameters. The project will deal with design of special process setups, testing its working principles and performances followed by assessment of the part quality; this will involve development of laser beam processing on specific aerospace materials, and model to understand the fundamental  mechanisms of the process to identify optimal operating conditions and followed by surface analysis techniques (e.g. Scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction for residual stress measurements, Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy).

To support this, the Rolls-Royce UTC has excellent facilities in laser beam processing, process monitoring, metrology/materials inspection to support this research project.  Students will benefit from the strategic partnerships with industry and collaborations with world-class specialists in manufacturing technologies.

For mutual interest the project can be offered as a "package" - this will include:

•    Appropriate training within Rolls-Royce for a period to be agreed.  The training will enable the understanding of the technical issues related to the project, as well as developing a good partnership with the appropriate technical teams.

•    Joint academic and industrial supervision.  In this way, the student will develop both academic and industrial skills with multiple career opportunities at the end of the PhD study.

•    For PhD students wishing to pursue an academic career, the opportunity to participate in teaching activities will be sought.

•    Internationally recognised Rolls-Royce specialists in the field will be available throughout the project to provide the PhD student with support and guidance if required.

The bursary covers the tuition fees and provides a tax-free stipend of over £15,000 per annum for the duration of the project (three years). The position is available immediately.

This is an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic first or upper second class graduate in mechanical/manufacturing/materials science/physics to build strong knowledge in both manufacturing and material science while establishing relationships with both academic and industrial areas at international level. Previous experience in modelling/experimental methods of laser beam processes will be considered an advantage. 

Interested in this studentships? To find if you are a suitable and eligible candidate contact Prof Dragos Axinte. Do not submit your application via the My Nottingham platform without having contacted our team first.

Informal enquiries may be also addressed to Prof. D. Axinte, Director of Rolls-Royce UTC, tel: 0115 951 4117 or Email: Dragos.Axinte@Nottingham.ac.uk.

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and notified.

17.  Rolls Royce sponsored PhD scholarship – Machining of new aerospace materials

Reference        sENG1413

Closing Date   Monday, 23rd May 2022

Department      Engineering

Applications are invited to undertake a 3 year PhD programme in partnership with industry to address key challenges in manufacturing engineering. The successful candidate will be based at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing Technology and On-Wing Technology at The University of Nottingham, Jubilee Campus. Having state-of-the-art facilities, the Rolls-Royce UTC at University of Nottingham offers a world-class environment for carrying out high impact research projects. 

The Rolls-Royce funded studentship is the result of the expanding machining activities sponsored by the Rolls-Royce UTC dealing with in-depth investigations of the response of “exotic” aerospace materials to various machining operations in the scope of robust manufacture of safety critical aero-engine components.

The project will deal with in-depth understanding of the machining operations for the new “exotic” aerospace materials, with the correlation between metallurgical aspects and machinability to efficiently support the manufacture of aerospace components. Apart from advanced machining techniques, this project will involve using a wide range of sophisticated testing and analysis methods from macro to micro scale, including scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), as well as development of innovative cutting tool solutions to address the notoriously low machinability of this group of materials. 

This project will involve development of new concepts for cutting tools (manufactured in-house), machining trials, workpiece surface quality analysis (e.g. metallurgy, integrity, residual stresses), followed by investigations on innovative methods to evaluate the machinability of “exotic” aerospace materials. Internationally recognised Rolls-Royce specialists in the field will be available throughout the project to provide the PhD student with support and guidance if required.

For mutual interest the project can be offered as a "package" - this will include:

    Appropriate training within Rolls-Royce for a period to be agreed.  The training will enable the understanding of the technical issues related to the project, as well as developing a good partnership with the appropriate technical teams.

    Joint academic and industrial supervision.  In this way, the student will develop both academic and industrial skills with multiple career opportunities at the end of the PhD study.

    For PhD students wishing to pursue an academic career, the opportunity to participate in teaching activities will be sought.

The bursary covers the tuition fees and provides a tax-free stipend of over £15,000 per year for the duration of the project (3 years). 

This is an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic first or upper second class graduate in mechanical/manufacturing/materials science/physics to build strong knowledge in both manufacturing and material science while building strong relationships with both academic and industrial areas at international level. Due to the nature of funding only UK/EU applicants can be considered for this position.

Interested in this studentships? To find if you are a suitable and eligible candidate contact Prof Dragos Axinte. Do not submit your application via the My Nottingham platform without having contacted our team first.

Please contact the UTC director, Prof Dragos Axinte, for further information.

Email: dragos.axinte@nottingham.ac.uk Tel: 011595 14117

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and notified.

17.   3-year PhD studentship: 3D Printing of proteins for continuous flow biocatalysis and bio-adsorption

Reference    ENG1501

Closing Date   Monday, 2nd May 2022

Department     Engineering

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD studentship (3 years) within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham, in collaboration with Johnson Matthey. The student will work with an interdisciplinary supervisory team with expertise in 3D printing, materials chemistry and biocatalysis.

Project title: 3D Printing of proteins for continuous flow biocatalysis and bio-adsorption

Supervisory Team: Ricky Wildman, Anca Pordea, Derek Irvine, Yinfeng He

This project will use 3D printing to support the development towards cleaner, greener processes. We will create new types of reactors that exploit high geometrical freedom and precise control of 3D printing and allow us to incorporate molecules that catalyse reactions. 

The Centre for Additive Manufacturing at the University of Nottingham uses state of the art 3D printing technologies, including stereolithography, projection stereolithography and two photon polymerisation. Exploiting our world leading capability in manufacturing, we will use these techniques to create new, complex designs suitable for highly optimised reactors.

We invite applications from candidates with knowledge and / or interest in 3D printing, process and materials engineering or catalysis with a background in engineering or physical sciences, including but not limited to chemical, manufacturing, mechanical engineering and chemistry. The studentship is an exciting research collaboration between supervisors based within the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cfam) and the Sustainable Process Technologies Research Group (https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/sustainable-process-technologies-research-group/index.aspx). The student will have access to equipment and expertise at the forefront of the 3D printing and of biotechnology research areas.

Eligibility

• Due to funding restrictions, the position is only available for home/UK candidates

• Candidates must possess or expect to obtain, a 2:1 or first class degree in an Engineering or Physical Sciences related discipline.

How to apply Please send a copy of your covering letter, CV and academic transcripts to cfam@nottingham.ac.uk referring to the project title. Enquiries can be made to ricky.wildman@nottingham.ac.uk 

Closing date: applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is appointed

18. 3-year PhD studentship: Bioelectronic interfaces that exploit the unique optoelectronic properties of printed 2D multilayer devices

Reference          ENG1507

Closing Date    Thursday, 23rd June 2022

Department       Engineering

Project title: Bioelectronic interfaces that exploit the unique optoelectronic properties of printed 2D multilayer devices

Supervisory Team: 

Engineering: Lyudmila Turyanska, Richard Hague

Pharmacy: Frankie Rawson, Veeran Chauhan

Physics: Mark Fromhold

The project will develop new bioelectronic interfaces that exploit unique properties of 3D printed multi-material devices. This will include van der Waals heterostructures comprising multiple layers of 2D materials including graphene and hexagonal boron nitride. The primary focus will be to design, fabricate, measure and optimize multi-material devices with three distinct sensing and imaging modalities, which can be utilized either independently or combined by fabricating hybrid devices with multiple functional layers for Electrical impedance tomography, Capacitive sensing and Electromagnetic detection.

The architecture of these devices will be developed for specific applications from the detection and analysis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in biological systems, with an aim to translate this research to whole organism imaging using Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans, a free-living soil nematode, is the most completely understood animal on the planet in terms of genetics, neurology, and cell survival. Its application as a model to study complex biochemical process has gathered significant momentum due to its ease of culture (feeds on bacterial lawns on agar plates), short life-cycle (egg to adult in 3 days), optical transparency (permitting optical visualization of anatomical events) and freely available mutants (that could function as experimental controls). The aim of the project will be to determine 3D positioning of AuNPs in the nematode anatomy, monitor AuNP nanowire growth in situ as well as determine the impact of electromagnetic control on C. elegans muscle contractions due to AuNP nanowire growth.

The student will work as part of multidisciplinary team crossing the boundaries between the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (Engineering), Pharmacy and Physics. The student will benefit from training in topical research areas ranging from additive manufacturing of functional devices incorporating low dimensional materials to development of novel electropeutic strategies.

Eligibility

•   Due to funding restrictions, the position is only available for home/UK candidates

•   Candidates should have, or expect to obtain, a 1st -class or 2:1 degree in Engineering, Pharmacy, Physics, Chemistry or related discipline

How to apply

Please send a copy of your covering letter, CV and academic transcripts to cfam@nottingham.ac.uk referring to the project title.  

Closing date: applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is appointed.

19. PhD Studentship: Load and vibration attenuation of aerospace structures

Reference       ENG1525

Closing Date   Saturday, 30th April 2022

Department     Engineering

Supervisor:     Dr Mohammadreza Amoozgar

Project description: Vibration in structures lead to fatigue damage of the components, human discomfort, noise generation and performance reduction. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the level of these unwanted vibrations down. There are several ways for reducing the vibration (passively or actively) that have been proposed in the literature such as active trailing edge flaps, optimising the geometry, mass and stiffness distribution of the structure, using vibration absorbers, isolators, etc. All these methods (and more) have their own advantages and disadvantages. The current project is trying to develop a new method to attenuate the aerospace structure vibration that has the potential to be more effective than the previous methods. 

The ideal student must have a very good background in structural dynamics and vibration with a high interest in modelling, simulation, and experimental works. 

The PhD position is available from 1st October 2022. This project will include the payment of tuition fees for Home Students, as well as a stipend equivalent to RCUK rates (currently at £15,609 p.a. tax free for 2021/22) awarded to the suitable candidate.

Please apply here-

 https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/how-to-apply/apply-online.aspx 

When applying for this studentship, please include the reference number (ENG1525) within the personal statement section of the application. This will help in ensuring your application is sent directly to the academic advertising the studentship.

Contact details for further information:   Dr Mohammadreza Amoozgar, m.amoozgar@nottingham.ac.uk 

20.  PhD Studentship in Additive Manufacturing (3D-Printing) of Glass-based Multi-material Structures

Reference        ENG1520X1

Closing Date   Monday, 2nd May 2022

Department     Engineering

PhD Studentship in Additive Manufacturing (3D-Printing) of Glass-based Multi-material Structures 

Supervisory Team: Prof Ruth Goodridge, Prof Ian Ashcroft and Dr Yinfeng He

This 3 year PhD studentship is based at the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM) at The University of Nottingham. For further information about CfAM, please visit https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cfam/ .

Project description: 

Additive manufacturing (AM; 3D-Printing) provides a unique opportunity to create complex geometries without the need for moulds or the use of subtractive methods, including structures which could not be fabricated using traditional technologies. AM of metals and polymers has seen significant progress over the past 40 years with examples of devices and products now in commercial use. However, AM of glass is still at an early stage of development. This is despite the considerable impact that AM would offer to a range of industries that need to produce complex glass objects or components in a reproducible and cost-effective manner.

This project aims to produce complex glass structures from photo-curable suspensions using Additive Manufacturing (3D-Printing) techniques. In particular, the project aims to produce parts with high transparency and additional functionality (e.g. electrical conductivity) in specific areas of the designed part. The successful PhD candidate will print novel materials using cutting edge facilities within the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM) at the University of Nottingham, UK. They will investigate the relationship between material properties, processing parameters and final part properties. In addition to the expertise and facilities within CfAM, they will be supported by internal and external collaborators, including a UK industrial partner and a Japanese research group (details available if selected for interview).

Eligibility

Due to funding restrictions, the position is only available for home/UK candidates

Applicants should possess a minimum 2:1 in Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related discipline. 

How to apply

Please send your covering letter, CV and academic transcripts to cfam@nottingham.ac.uk referring to the project title. Please note applications without academic transcripts will not be considered. 

Closing date: applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is appointed.

For more detail and scholarships please visit the official site