Oriol Planas

Imperial College London’s Department of Chemistry is inviting applications for multiple PhD studentships in areas including catalysis, organometallic chemistry, materials for energy, chemical biology, and computational chemistry. The department typically admits 50-60 PhD students annually, with funding from sources such as the EPSRC, industry, and departmental scholarships. Projects span fundamental and applied research, including catalysis using earth-abundant elements, computational discovery of energy materials, chemical biology, and machine learning for materials design. Key research areas include: Catalysis and Organometallic Chemistry: Projects in the Planas Lab focus on catalysis and organometallics, especially using earth-abundant elements. Materials for Energy: Dr. Alex Ganose leads a fully funded project on defect-tolerant materials for energy applications, combining computational chemistry and AI. Electrochemistry: Prof. Anthony Kucernak’s group investigates electrocatalysis in electrolysers and fuel cells, with a focus on in-operando detection of reactive intermediates. Chemical Biology and Machine Learning: Assoc. Prof. Jarvist Moore Frost offers projects on antimicrobial peptides and quantum mechanical models using machine learning. Funding: Departmental PhD Scholarships are available for home students, covering full fees and a stipend (£22,780 for 2025-26) for 3.5 years. Some projects are fully funded for both UK and international students. Other scholarships may offer partial fee waivers or require self-funding for part of the duration. Eligibility: Applicants should hold a strong MSci or MRes First-Class degree in Chemistry or a related field. Some studentships are open only to UK home students, while others are open to international applicants. Desirable backgrounds include catalysis, organometallic chemistry, computational chemistry, materials science, machine learning, and chemical engineering. Academic excellence, research potential, and extracurricular activities are considered. Application Process: Prospective students should contact a potential supervisor in the Chemistry Department to discuss research interests and projects. After discussion, candidates complete the departmental scholarship application form, which the supervisor submits for consideration. For specific projects, applicants should email the listed supervisor with a CV and statement of interest. The deadline for departmental scholarships is 1 December 2025. Imperial College London is committed to diversity and equality, encouraging applications from underrepresented backgrounds. The department is an Athena SWAN gold Award winner and a Stonewall Diversity Champion. For more information, visit planaslab.com or the Chemistry PhD Studentships page .