Ambrose Taylor

[Full tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £23,805 for Home, EU and International students.] This PhD studentship is based in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London and focuses on the durability of carbon fibre-reinforced thermosets under ultraviolet exposure. The project examines how the structure and composition of thermosetting epoxy polymers affect UV resistance, with the aim of understanding photodegradation mechanisms that can weaken composite surfaces and generate microcracks. The research combines UV resistance measurements with visual and chemical analysis, as well as mechanical and fracture testing, to build a structure–property map for a composite system. The goal is to identify polymer formulations that offer improved UV durability while retaining the mechanical and functional properties needed for demanding transport applications. You will work within an advanced research environment at Imperial, using state-of-the-art facilities for high-resolution microscopy, thermal analysis, UV/vis spectroscopy, FTIR, AFM, Q-SUN testing and mechanical characterisation. The studentship also offers experience in advanced composite manufacturing and specialist analytical techniques in composite science and technology. The project is jointly supervised by Professor Koon-Yang Lee and Professor Ambrose Taylor, with additional input from an industry research scientist from Syensqo. The studentship sits at the intersection of aeronautics, mechanical engineering and composite materials research, with opportunities to present at conferences, publish in journals and engage with academic and industry networks.