The Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance (CSEP) has been established to build a national resource to help ensure that the UK’s high-value science and technology-based industries are globally competitive in the 21st century. The Centre is a collaboration between Imperial College’s Business School and the Faculty of Engineering, made possible by generous support from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. It builds on foundations established through our recent sectoral studies on biopharma, telecoms and medical devices, and currently underway on the fine chemicals industry. The mission of the Centre is ambitious:

· To help improve the competitiveness of the UK economy by focusing its research on the industries / sectors with the greatest potential for global success, and deepening knowledge on value generation, innovation, and productivity.

· Based on the research findings, engaging with influential audiences in industry, government and academia to develop implementable recommendations, strategies, and policies that result in value generation and societal equity.

· Become the go-to place for researching and advising on the readiness of UK industry to anticipate and accommodate forms of market and technological disruption.

We are looking to recruit three outstanding Home PhD students to the Centre with backgrounds in Engineering, Business, Economic and Policy, starting in October 2024. In addition, demonstrable interest, extra-curricular and/or scholarly activities at the nexus of business, engineering, design, and/or policy is preferable.

The funding covers:

· Full home tuition fees.

· Annual stipend of £20,622 at the UKRI standard rate.

Suitable candidates will be required to complete an electronic application form, following the standard Imperial College application procedure; more information can be found here. 

The deadline for applications is 30/06/2024, but we encourage you to submit as soon as possible. 

For queries regarding the application process, please contact n.moult@imperial.ac.uk.

Lithium-ion batteries are the technology of choice for electric vehicles and other battery powered applications, with the ability to fast charge becoming increasingly important. However, frequent fast charging can reduce battery lifetime through mechanisms such as lithium plating, particle cracking and solvent consumption. These problems are then compounded by the heterogenous degradation that often occurs in commercially relevant large format cells, where thermal gradients can cause complex feedback effects.

This PhD project therefore aims to develop a holistic understanding of factors influencing lifetime performance of lithium-ion batteries under fast charging conditions; developing frameworks for optimal charging across different chemistries, designs and usage conditions.  This will be achieved through the development of a physics-based modelling framework which leverages PyBaMM (https://www.pybamm.org/); a Python based battery modelling tool. Here, key degradation mechanism will be included and extended across 1D-3D model implementations towards understanding the impact of fast charging on different cell designs. These models will be validated experimentally using the state-of-the-art facilities available in the Electrochemical Science and Engineering group here at Imperial College London, which consists of >100 cycling channels, thermal chambers and advanced characterisation/teardown facilities.

This PhD is fully funded via the industrial sponsor Shell, whom the successful candidate will work closely with, alongside Imperial supervisors Dr. Billy Wu (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/billy.wu)(Main supervisor) and Professor Greg Offer (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/gregory.offer)(Co-supervisor), with the candidate being based in the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/design-engineering/).

The Electrochemical Science and Engineering group

The Electrochemical Science and Engineering group (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/electrochem-sci-eng/) works at the interface between fundamental science and engineering application of electrochemical energy devices including batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors. Activity include: development of new energy materials, modelling, understanding and diagnosing degradation, thermal management, control and techno-economics. The successful applicant will therefore join a multi-cultural research group which operates across multiple departments including: Mechanical Engineering, Design Engineering, Earth Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Materials.

About the candidate

The successful candidate should be enthusiastic and self-motivated, in addition to meeting the academic requirements for enrolment for a PhD at the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/design-engineering/study/phd/applying-for-a-phd-in-design-engineering/). Candidates are expected to have a First class (Distinction) degree or equivalent at Masters level in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline. In exceptional cases where extensive research/industry experience can be demonstrated, candidates with a UK-equivalent of 2:1 (Merit) at Masters level can be considered.

Funding for this PhD studentship is expected to be for a home fee status student, but in exceptional cases, international fee status students can be considered.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience include: electrochemistry, batteries, mathematical modelling, research and experimental design.

More information and application process

Interested candidates should send a 2-page CV and 1-page cover letter articulating suitability for the PhD to Dr. Billy Wu (billy.wu@imperial.ac.uk) by the deadline. A shortlisting process will then occur after this, inviting potential candidates to a full application and interview.

Deadline: April 22^nd 2024

This new initiative on Sustainable Automotive Manufacturing by Design has been established to develop new knowledge, technologies, and capabilities in view of a low-emission and sustainable automotive manufacturing future, fuelled by electric mobility. It is a new collaboration between JLR and Imperial College London’s Dyson School of Design Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Materials, and Centre for Environmental Policy. The mission is ambitious:

- To develop new sustainable materials, recycling technologies, engineered and nature-based carbon capture and re-use technologies, and systems models to enable the transition to Net Zero in automotive.

- Based on the findings, engage the automotive industry and academia to co-develop new system solutions and strategies to support decarbonisation projects by 2050, in view of future uncertainty in terms of climate, cost, technologies, and regulations.

- Become the point of reference for future development of a sustainable and circular value chain in the automotive sector.

We are looking to recruit two outstanding Home PhD students as part of this new collaboration between JLR and Imperial College London, with background in Chemical Engineering, Design Engineering, Materials Engineering, Systems Engineering (or other relevant training), with a start date in October 2024:

- Project 1: focuses on the development of a techno-economic system model to help decarbonise the automotive value chain, exploring and leveraging new developments in engineered (e.g., carbon capture and re-use technologies) and nature-based (e.g., reforestation) solutions, as well low-carbon materials and recycling technologies. To submit an application, click here. For questions on the project, contact m.cardin@imperial.ac.uk.

- Project 2: focuses on developing and evaluating new advanced bio-inspired materials based on biomass-derived polymers (e.g., using chitin derived from mushrooms) and sustainable inorganic sources and 3D printing processes to support a low-carbon manufacturing process. To submit an application, click here. For questions on the project, contact julian.r.jones@imperial.ac.uk.

For both PhD projects, the funding covers:

• Full home tuition fees.
• Annual stipend of at least £20,622 (UKRI standard rate) - or higher based on excellence.

Suitable candidates will be required to complete an electronic application form, following the standard Imperial College application procedure. For queries regarding the application process in Design Engineering, please contact n.moult@imperial.ac.uk. For the application process in Materials, please contact a.neri14@imperial.ac.uk.

Application deadline: 31st July 2024

About the project: Applications are invited for an exciting PhD research project in the interdisciplinary field of artificial intelligence (AI) powered manufacturing and structural design for lightweight vehicles leading to the award of a PhD degree. This studentship is funded by an EPSRC iCASE award and industrial partner Tata Steel UK.

The vision of the project is to pioneer fundamental AI methodologies to empower the creation of steel-based high-performance, manufacturable parts by holistically optimising vehicle part geometries, process settings, as well as material conditions. The aim is to lead the development of the world’s first AI-driven platform that empowers the creation of high-performance, manufacturable vehicle parts, tailored to Tata Steel UK’s products. You will join us for achieving this aim through the development of fundamental applied AI methodologies. This novel interdisciplinary project could increase effectiveness of today’s components forming simulations. The AI methodology will provide a more advanced approach for constructing AI based forming feasible deep-drawn components as well as optimising the forming strains in crash sensitive parts of a vehicle to achieve weight reduction, which could help designers choose the right geometries for blanks and tooling, the right material and gauge for vehicle components, and therefore help reduce weight, cost, and CO2, addressing real-world sustainability needs.

The project will be supervised by Dr Nan Li at Imperial College London and an industrial expert, Mr. Andrew Ruthven, at Tata Steel UK. During the project, the PhD student will have the opportunity to visit Tata Steel UK’s premises, and to disseminate the work at international conferences and industrial events.

Academic criteria: applicants must be in receipt of, or are due to receive, a first class or equivalent in an undergraduate or integrated Masters degree, in Engineering, Physics, Computing or any other relevant STEM subjects; or if a first class or equivalent has not been achieved, applicants must be in receipt of (or where this has yet to be received, be able to provide evidence of high performance that will lead to) a distinction in a standalone Master’s qualification. (A 2:1 degree is acceptable if the applicant can demonstrate significant industrial or research experience and output.)

We also expect applicants to have a demonstrable interest in innovation and interdisciplinary and translational research. In addition, good communication, team-working, and management skills are also important.

Interested applicants should send an up-to-date curriculum vitae to Dr Nan Li (nan.li@imperial.ac.uk). Suitable candidates will be required to complete an electronic application form, following the standard Imperial College application procedure; more information can be found here. For queries regarding the application process, please contact n.moult@imperial.ac.uk.

Funding Notes

This studentship covers full tuition fees at the Home rate and includes a generous stipend set at the UKRI rate plus industrial top-ups for 4 years.

According to EPSRC rules, this post will prioritise Home students. The timeframe is tight, so please contact Dr Nan Li ASAP if you are interested. The advert will be closed once the post is filled, so please apply as soon as possible if you are interested.