PhD Opportunities in Material Characterization in United Kingdom

The University of Cambridge is offering a four-year 1+3 MRes/PhD studentship through the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero, in collaboration with Network Rail. The project investigates low-carbon cements and alternative cementitious binders for lower-strength and lower-risk applications across Great Britain's rail infrastructure. Potential applications include walkways and kerbs, blocks and pavers, drainage channels, cable troug...

The University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science invites applications for a fully funded 3.5-year DPhil studentship, Fatigue Failure of Target Graphite . The project focuses on graphite composite materials used as proton-beam targets for next-generation neutrino facilities, including DUNE. The research will investigate fatigue failure and degradation mechanisms in target graphite, develop new fatigue-testing methodologies, and study crack initiation and propagation under cyclic loadi...

The University of Nottingham is offering a fully funded, four-year, full-time PhD studentship through the Net2Zero Centre for Doctoral Training. The project, “Development and Demonstration of a Laboratory-Scale Next Generation Multifunctional Reactor for Biochar Production and Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) Technology,” will contribute to innovative net-zero technologies. The successful candidate will design, manufacture and test a laboratory-scale multifunctional reactor capa...

The University of Nottingham is offering a four-year PhD CASE studentship investigating the interface material layer created during linear friction welding (LFW) of titanium alloys. The project will develop a fundamental understanding of thermo-mechanical effects and material flow within the high-strain-rate, high-temperature interface contact layer formed during LFW. It will examine links between process variables, process stability, machine and tooling behavior, flash extrusion, and the qualit...

Cranfield University is offering a four-year, full-time PhD studentship in materials science focused on optimising platinum electrodeposition for protective coatings on turbine blades and vanes. The project is based in Cranfield, England, and is sponsored by EPSRC through the IDLA programme and Siemens Energy. The research will investigate the electrochemical and materials-science principles governing platinum deposition on nickel-based superalloys. The student will combine first-principles and ...

The University of Nottingham is inviting applications for a PhD studentship in the interfacial chemistry of high-energy lithium-ion batteries, supervised by Professor Lee Johnson within the Nottingham Applied Materials and Interfaces Group (NAMI). The project examines the fundamental chemical reactions occurring at interfaces between nickel-rich positive electrode materials and battery electrolytes. It will investigate how electrode composition, state of charge, electrolyte chemistry, and operat...

[Fully funded studentship covering fees and maintenance for eligible home students in the first instance; a limited number of international students may be considered for funding later in the recruitment process. Four-year (1+3 MRes/PhD) studentship funded through the FIBE3 CDT.] This is a four-year, fully funded 1+3 MRes/PhD studentship at the University of Cambridge, supported through the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Unlocking Net Zero (FIB...

Postgraduate research project at the University of Southampton : Hybrid additive–subtractive manufacturing of lightweight alloys with ultrasonically assisted robotic machining . This is a PhD opportunity in mechanical engineering , materials science , robotics , and aerospace engineering . The project focuses on developing a hybrid manufacturing approach that combines metal additive manufacturing with ultrasonically assisted robotic machining to improve the quality and precision of lightweight a...

University of Southampton is advertising a PhD project on ammonia-fuelled internal combustion engines , with a specific focus on how ammonia affects wear and friction in tribological contacts. This project sits at the intersection of mechanical engineering , materials science , chemical engineering , and physics . The research will examine ammonia–lubricant–surface interactions under realistic engine conditions, including the effects of lubricant formulations, engineering materials, coatings, an...