Claire Hobday
Just Landed
New Today
Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship
PhD in Solid-State Refrigerants, Computational Chemistry and High-Pressure Crystallography The University of Edinburgh in United Kingdom
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Chemistry
Funding
Two scholarship routes are available: the Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship provides four years of tuition and stipend funding and is open to UK and international students, with some teaching; the Dr Brian Phillips Scholarship provides 3.5 years of tuition and stipend funding and is for UK nationals only.
Deadline
Nov 20, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
University
The University of Edinburgh
Apply for this scholarship
Keywords
Suggested scholarships
About this position
The Hobday Group at the University of Edinburgh School of Chemistry is offering a PhD project on solid-state refrigerants, materials that can pump heat when squeezed and may provide alternatives to harmful refrigerant gases.
The research will investigate why some materials show excellent solid-state refrigeration performance. The successful student will map the energetic pathways and molecular dynamics that control how these materials respond to pressure, building an understanding from the atomic scale upward.
The project combines computational chemistry, high-pressure crystallography and calorimetry. The balance between computation and experiment can be tailored to the successful candidate, providing an interdisciplinary research environment spanning molecular modelling, structural characterization and thermal measurements within the Hobday Group.
The work addresses sustainable approaches to heating and cooling buildings and food while advancing fundamental understanding of pressure-responsive materials.
Funding details
Two scholarship routes are available: the Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship provides four years of tuition and stipend funding and is open to UK and international students, with some teaching; the Dr Brian Phillips Scholarship provides 3.5 years of tuition and stipend funding and is for UK nationals only.
What's required
Applicants should have a degree in chemistry, physics, materials science or a closely related discipline. Experience with computational chemistry or crystallography is advantageous, while curiosity, motivation, drive and enthusiasm are especially valued. The Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship is open to UK and international students; the Dr Brian Phillips Scholarship is restricted to UK nationals.
How to apply
Email Claire Hobday a short CV and a one-page outline of your research interests by Friday 20 November 2026. Applicants should apply early because the School of Chemistry has one award of each type and Claire can nominate only one person.
View more positions in Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship
Make your next move.
Prepare your application
Review drafts and confirm requirements with the provider.
Professors
UKRI Future Leaders Fellow & Senior Lecturer
United Kingdom
Research Interests
Environmental Sustainability
Physics
Calorimetry
Molecular Dynamics
Computational Chemistry
Make your next move.
Prepare your application
Review drafts and confirm requirements with the provider.