About the Project
This position will close as soon as a suitable candidate has been found.
An opportunity for a 3.5 year PhD position supported by NSG Group towards the computational discovery of new materials with spectrally selective properties, that when deposited as thin films on glass have applications such as building energy management, communication security, horticultural glazing, lighting and sensors.
This project will combine the application of machine learning methods that identify the most likely parts of chemical space where new materials will be located, with crystal structure prediction methods that allow the compositions and structures of the materials to be predicted. Combining these approaches offers a route to accelerating the discovery of functional materials. We have developed new approaches to both of these problems1-3.
The student will learn how to apply and develop machine learning and structure prediction tools to identify new candidate materials with targeted properties which will be synthesised by experimental collaborators within our research team. The student will work closely with academic and industrial scientists in the fields of computer science, inorganic chemistry, physics, and materials science to develop and apply software tools. The student will have the opportunity to spend time at the NSG Group European Technical Centre at Lathom, Lancashire.
As well as obtaining knowledge and experience in computational materials discovery techniques, the student will develop skills in teamwork, scientific communication, time management and planning.
Qualifications: Applications are welcomed from students with a 2:1 or higher master’s degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Materials Science or Physics. We particularly encourage candidates with some of the skills and knowledge directly relevant to the project including computational chemistry or physics, solid state inorganic materials, optical properties or applied mathematics.
Please apply by completing the online postgraduate research application form here: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/applying/online/
The inorganic materials chemistry group, led by Professor Rosseinsky at the University of Liverpool (https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/chemistry/research/rosseinsky-group/about/), focusses its research on the discovery of new inorganic and hybrid organic-inorganic solid state compounds. The research involves developing new capability for materials discovery, discovering and exploring the chemistry of new classes of material, and developing materials for particular applications. Our research has led to the synthesis of a range of novel materials with a variety of functional properties arising from a close working relationship between computational and experimental researchers within the group, which is recognized in the EPSRC Programme Grant in Integration of Computation and Experiment for Accelerated Materials Discovery, the ERC Advanced Grant on Dynamic Responsive Porous Crystals and the collocation of theoretical and experimental researchers within the Materials Innovation Factory (https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/materials-innovation-factory/) and the Leverhulme Centre for Functional Materials Design.
The group has identified interesting new classes of material, most recently including solids containing three anions4, crystalline porous materials built from amide bonds5, and porous materials that have similarities to proteins in their chemical response6. We work on a wide range of application areas, including but not limited to battery materials7, transparent conductors for low-energy buildings8, heterogeneous catalysis for sustainable manufacturing9-11, thermoelectrics for waste heat recovery from industrial processes12-13, and lead-free piezoelectric and multiferroic materials for sensing and low-energy information storage14-15.
The research will be performed in the newly opened Materials Innovation Factory with 2750 m2 of top-quality research space on the top floor of the building, and access to the extensive shared robotic synthesis and characterisation facilities on the ground floor.
You will be encouraged to undertake some teaching duties for the department for which you will receive training and payment. You will have the option to work towards and apply for Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (via the Foundations in Learning & Teaching in Higher Education (FLTHE) programme https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/eddev/supporting-teaching/flthe/ or the University of Liverpool Teaching Recognition and Accreditation (ULTRA) Framework https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/eddev/ultra-cpd/).
For any queries please contact Dr Troy Manning on [Email Address Removed].
To apply for this opportunity, please visit: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/how-to-apply/
Please quote Studentship Reference: CCPR009 in the Finance Section of the Application Form.
Funding Notes
The award is 50% funded by NSG Group and 50% funded by the University of Liverpool through an EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership award and will pay full tuition fees and a maintenance grant for 3.5 years. Applications from candidates meeting the eligibility requirements of the EPSRC are welcome – please refer to the EPSRC website http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/eligibility/. The maintenance grant is £15,009 pa for 2019-20, with the possibility of an increase for 2020/21.
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