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University of Oxford

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Fully Funded PhD Studentship in Fatigue Failure of Target Graphite and Graphite Composite Materials University of Oxford in United Kingdom

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Mechanical Engineering

Funding

Fully funded for 3.5 years. The award covers University of Oxford Home-rate tuition fees and provides a tax-free maintenance stipend of approximately £21,805 for the first year, with at least this amount for a further two and a half years. Funding is jointly provided by the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

Deadline

Dec 2, 2026

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Country

United Kingdom

University

University of Oxford

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Keywords

Mechanical Engineering
Materials Science
Material Characterization
Fracture Mechanics
Experimental Mechanics
Physics

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About this position

The University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science invites applications for a fully funded 3.5-year DPhil studentship, Fatigue Failure of Target Graphite. The project focuses on graphite composite materials used as proton-beam targets for next-generation neutrino facilities, including DUNE.

The research will investigate fatigue failure and degradation mechanisms in target graphite, develop new fatigue-testing methodologies, and study crack initiation and propagation under cyclic loading. Candidates will examine relationships between microstructure, thermal properties, irradiation damage, and mechanical performance.

Experimental work may involve X-ray tomography, FIB-SEM tomography, Raman spectroscopy, thermal conductivity measurements, high-temperature mechanical testing, ion irradiation, and synchrotron experiments at Diamond Light Source. The project will collaborate with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Dr Chris Densham’s group at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory to support particle-target design.

Supervisors are Prof Dong (Lilly) Liu at the University of Oxford and Dr Kavin Ammigan at Fermilab, with collaboration from Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Applicants should hold a first-class or strong upper second-class degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or a related field. Strong interest in experimental research and materials behaviour under extreme environments is expected, alongside excellent English communication and collaborative skills. Experience in mechanical testing, fracture mechanics, fatigue analysis, materials characterisation, Python or MATLAB is desirable.

The studentship covers Home-rate tuition fees and provides a tax-free stipend of approximately £21,805 in the first year, with at least this amount for a further two and a half years. The application deadline is noon on 2 December 2026, with a planned start in October 2027. Applicants must submit a graduate application for the DPhil in Engineering Science and quote reference 27ENGMM_DL.

Funding details

Fully funded for 3.5 years. The award covers University of Oxford Home-rate tuition fees and provides a tax-free maintenance stipend of approximately £21,805 for the first year, with at least this amount for a further two and a half years. Funding is jointly provided by the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

What's required

Applicants should have a first-class or strong upper second-class degree, or equivalent, in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or a closely related discipline. Candidates should demonstrate a strong interest in materials behaviour under extreme environments and experimental research, excellent written and spoken English communication skills, and the ability to work effectively within an international multidisciplinary collaboration. Desirable, but not essential, experience includes mechanical testing, fracture mechanics or fatigue analysis, materials characterisation techniques, data analysis and scientific programming such as Python or MATLAB, and interest in particle accelerator, nuclear, or energy applications. Applicants must also satisfy the University of Oxford admission requirements for the DPhil in Engineering Science.

How to apply

Submit a graduate application for the DPhil in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford and satisfy the University's admission requirements. Quote reference 27ENGMM_DL in the graduate application and all correspondence. Informal enquiries may be sent to Prof Dong (Lilly) Liu at [email protected].

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