A DPhil (PhD) studentship is available to work on an exciting project on oxide electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries using computational and experimental techniques in the group of Professor Saiful Islam at the University of Oxford in close collaboration with Professor M. Rosa Palacin at the Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC). This strongly collaborative project forms part of the ALISTORE European Research Institute (ERI) programme on battery materials.
Research group details and publications can be found at:
https://www.materials.ox.ac.uk/peoplepages/islam.html
https://icmab.es/palacin-peiro-maria-rosa-management
The successful applicant will be based primarily in the Department of Materials, University of Oxford.
The development of rechargeable batteries with higher energy densities is critical for the continuing transition to a low-carbon energy economy and for electric vehicle applications. Physical mixtures (or ‘blends’) of two or more active electrode materials are often used in commercial lithium batteries to achieve better performance than with a single component. A typical cathode example is the spinel LiMn2O4 blended with layered Li(Nn,Mn,Co)O2 (NMC) type compounds aiming at improving both energy density and power performance. However, fundamental questions related to blended cathode materials still remain poorly understood regarding the internal processes at the atomic scale. The DPhil project addresses the atomistic understanding of such effects in blended cathode materials through extensive coupling between advanced materials modelling (at Oxford) and complementary experimental work (at Barcelona).
Candidates should have (or expect to obtain) a good honours degree in Chemistry, Materials, Physics or related discipline. Previous research experience (such as a master’s research project or equivalent) in materials modelling, solid state chemistry and/or energy storage applications is desirable but not essential.
Applicants with Home or Overseas fees status are eligible to apply, but a successful candidate with Overseas fees status would have to fund the difference between annual course fees at the Home and Overseas rates from alternative funds they had sourced (for the academic year 2023/24 this difference is £20,740 and normally increases annually). Information on course fees and fee status can be found at http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/fees-and-funding/fees-and-other-charges .
Applications will be considered in Oxford University’s 2023 Graduate Recruitment Open Field; all complete applications for the present studentship received by Monday 3rd April will be considered, and if the studentship remains unfilled subsequent applications will be considered on an as received basis. In addition to Open Field applications, candidates who applied in our November 2022, January 2023 and March 2023 admissions fields (application deadlines respectively 11 November 2022, 20 January 2023 and 1st March 2023) and expressed in their application form an interest in research projects for which Professor Saiful Islam is a supervisor will be considered automatically for the present project.
For informal discussions, please contact: Prof Saiful Islam ( [Email Address Removed] )
General enquiries on how to apply can be made by e‑mail to [Email Address Removed] .
You must complete the standard Oxford University Application for Graduate Studies.
Further information and an electronic copy of the application form can be found at https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/applying-to-oxford .
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