A 4-year EngD studentship in Photoemission Spectroscopy for Electronic Structure Determination of Energy Materials

The UCL Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecular Modelling and Materials Science is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in September 2019. The studentship will cover tuition fees at UK/EU rate plus a tax free maintenance stipend (e.g. £18277 pa) for four years.

The project will be in collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global leader in analytical science, and HarwellXPS, the UK’s national photoemission spectroscopy service. The student will carry out his or her doctoral research in the field of photoemission and inverse photoemission spectroscopy. These techniques provide direct information on the electronic structure of materials, which is vital for understanding their function and improving their design. The student will pioneer new methods in valence band photoemission and inverse photoemission, developing a new, quantitative analytical approach and apply this to important classes of energy materials: photovoltaics, thermoelectrics and thermochromic materials. They will work as part of a team involving close collaboration with synthetic chemists and theoreticians.

The successful candidate will work with a wide range of advanced spectrometers, including the facility at UCL, and the UK’s national XPS service based at Harwell in Oxfordshire. The project is sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific, who will provide support including access to their state of the art inverse photoemission spectroscopy and combined Raman-XPS instruments.

There will be extensive opportunities for international travel, including established collaborations with universities in Canada and Japan where extended research secondments can be undertaken if desired by the student. Additional travel to international conferences to present research work will be possible.

Interested candidates should contact Dr. Robert Palgrave ([Email Address Removed]) with a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in this project. Informal inquiries are encouraged.

Due to funding restrictions, this studentship is only open to applicants from the UK and EU, who have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years preceding their start on the programme or have indefinite leave to remain in the UK. .

Applications will be accepted until 30 June 2019 but the position will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate has been identified.