PhD Opportunities in Energy Engineering in United Kingdom

Newcastle University is offering a four-year PhD studentship through the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Process Industries: Net Zero. The project focuses on developing an endurant power and propulsion system for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs operating in offshore energy infrastructure. AUVs are increasingly important for inspecting offshore wind installations, subsea cables, and fixed or floating energy platforms. Current inspection and maintenance approaches often depend on crewed...

Northumbria University is offering a fully funded PhD project entitled “Programmable luminescent tags for eco-efficient photonic devices.” The research addresses the need for reusable and ultimately compostable UV sensors for coatings, inks, adhesives, solar panels and electronics, where an incorrect UV dose can cause early failure or wasted energy. Inspired by quinine, the molecule responsible for tonic water’s fluorescence under UV light, the project will develop new molecules that begin to em...

The University of Liverpool is inviting applications for a PhD project titled Air2Fuel – Integrating and studying CO2 reduction electrocatalysts into artificial photosynthetic devices . The research will focus on developing, testing, and studying photocatalysts and CO2-reduction electrocatalysts. The project offers practical work with cutting-edge materials alongside the use of spectroscopic tools to investigate catalyst behavior and performance. Professor Alexander Cowan, Professor of Chemistry...

Microgrid Resilience PhD at the University of Nottingham will develop a modelling approach for assessing the resilience of small-scale, converter-dominated microgrids. The project addresses reliable electricity supply in systems that integrate renewable and distributed energy resources. The research will examine how microgrids can operate autonomously when the upstream grid fails, improve electricity-system resilience, reduce energy not supplied and potentially provide financial benefits through...

The University of Glasgow is offering a funded 3.5-year PhD studentship through the ExaGEO DLA on the next generation of AI-driven earth observation . The doctoral research will focus on transforming UK land cover classification using artificial intelligence and earth observation approaches. The project is positioned to support improved understanding and monitoring of environmental change, with the broader aim of helping address global environmental crises. This is a multidisciplinary research o...

This PhD project investigates how humanitarian risk pools can respond to a changing climate and make resilient financial decisions under uncertainty. Risk pools such as Start Ready, African Risk Capacity, and the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility use predefined triggers, including flood forecast probabilities, to release pooled funds before or after disasters. The research will examine how climate science, data science, and decision science can be combined to improve the modelling th...

Newcastle University is advertising two PhD studentships through the Process Industries Net Zero (PINZ) Centre for Doctoral Training, focused on offshore energy and maritime decarbonisation. The research is connected with industrial partners and the university’s Marine Technology and marine hydrodynamics environment. Optimising Green Methanol Utilisation for Net-Zero Offshore Vessels This project will investigate technologies for methanol-powered offshore vessels. The successful researcher will ...

This PhD project investigates whether quantum computing can improve decision-making for future energy systems under uncertainty. Based at the University of Southampton , the research will connect hybrid quantum–classical computing with large-scale stochastic optimisation for the net-zero energy transition. Energy-system planning requires long-term decisions about generation, storage, and infrastructure before future demand, weather, and renewable generation are known. The project will develop al...

This PhD project will develop advanced terahertz spectroscopy methods for the inspection and optimisation of next-generation solid-state batteries. The research addresses a major manufacturing challenge: controlling the microstructure of solid-state electrolytes so that they deliver strong electrochemical performance, mechanical integrity and impermeability at product scale. Solid-state electrolytes offer improved thermal stability, reduced flammability, enhanced durability and the potential for...