PhD Studentship: High Light Yield Perovskite Scintillators for Nuclear Security Gamma Applications University of Surrey in United Kingdom

[UKRI standard stipend for 48 months: £20,780 for 2025/26 academic year. Fully and directly funded for this project only.]

This PhD studentship at the University of Surrey offers an exciting opportunity to work on the development of high light yield perovskite scintillators for nuclear security gamma applications. The Surrey research team has recently demonstrated the superior performance of new perovskite scintillator materials, which combine high scintillation light yield, high material density, excellent optical transparency due to a large Stoke’s shift, and fast response times. The project aims to fabricate prototype perovskite scintillator gamma detectors using materials grown at Surrey, leveraging their unique properties for efficient gamma ray detection.

Perovskite scintillators are solution-processable at relatively low temperatures and their radioluminescence can be tuned across the visible spectrum by adjusting material stoichiometry. The research objectives include developing new growth methods for high light yield perovskite scintillators, studying the morphology and crystalline quality of perovskite crystals using advanced single crystal X-ray diffractometry, and investigating the optical performance of these materials through photoluminescence spectroscopy and decay time measurements. Additionally, the project will explore the radiation response of perovskite scintillators to X-rays and gamma rays using radioisotopes and X-ray generators.

The student will be registered on the Physics PhD programme, but the research is highly multidisciplinary, benefiting from state-of-the-art material characterisation facilities in Chemistry and Materials Science. Techniques such as Photoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering, SEM/TEM, and XRD will be employed. The Physics department provides all necessary equipment for radiation-based characterisation, including X-ray luminescence and radioisotope gamma irradiation.

Supervision will be provided by Professor Paul Sellin, Professor Carol Crean, and Dr Ian Riddlestone, ensuring expert guidance across physics, chemistry, and materials science. The position is fully and directly funded for 48 months, with a UKRI standard stipend of £20,780 for the 2025/26 academic year. The studentship is open to candidates who pay UK/home rate fees and who meet the minimum entry requirements for the Physics PhD programme at the University of Surrey. The project is scheduled to start in October 2026.

Applications should be submitted via the Physics PhD programme page. In place of a research proposal, applicants should upload a document stating the project title and the name of the relevant supervisor. For further information on fee status, candidates are advised to consult UKCISA. For enquiries, contact Professor Paul Sellin.