This opportunity will remain open until the position has been filled and so early applications are encouraged.
A fully funded PhD studentship is available in organic materials discovery, as part of a prestigious international Synergy Grant funded by the European Research Council. The project, ‘Autonomous Discovery of Advanced Materials’ (ADAM), aims to revolutionise the way that new materials are discovered by combining computational simulations, robotics, and materials synthesis. The ADAM team comprises researchers with expertise in chemistry, robotics, machine learning, computational chemistry, and robotics.
In this project, you will develop new organic materials and the molecular building blocks that they comprise using automated workflows developed by other ADAM team members. Computational methods are developing rapidly in this area, and crystal structure prediction methods developed by partners at the University of Southampton will be used to assess candidate molecules for their likely crystal packing and resulting materials properties. This studentship will focus on developing automated robotic methods to access the most promising building blocks that are suggested by these computational predictions.
The project will be based in the materials discovery research group led by Prof. Andy Cooper (https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/cooper-group/). You will have access to unique facilities in the state-of-the-art Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool (https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/materials-innovation-factory). You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team that includes collaborators at the University of Southampton and Rostock University. Through these collaborations, you will interact with computational chemists, synthetic chemists, and also engineers and computer scientists developing the use of robots in the materials chemistry laboratory.
We are looking for candidates with an enthusiasm for research, multidisciplinary collaboration and tackling challenging problems through teamwork. Experience in organic synthesis or organic materials chemistry would be an advantage, as would excellent presentation skills. You do not need to have experience with robotics – the necessary skills will be taught during the PhD.
The position is available from 1st October 2022.
Entry Requirements
Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a good degree (equivalent to a UK First or Upper Second Class degree) in Chemistry, Materials Science or a related discipline.
If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact either Andy Cooper (email: [Email Address Removed])
To apply for this opportunity please visit: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/how-to-apply/ and click on the 'Ready to apply? Apply online' button. Please include Curriculum Vitae, Two reference letters, Degree Transcripts to date. Please ensure you quote the following reference on your application: Reference CCPR040 - Organic materials discovery using automated/robotic workflows