Overview
High selectivity membranes will enable new levels of productivity and efficiency in the energy, water, chemicals, food, agriculture, and industrial sectors. The pursuit of high selectivity membranes is the focus of our new Programme Grant, ‘SynHiSel’. The successful applicant to this PhD programme will contribute to the aims of ‘SynHiSel’, working with up to 6 universities and 12 companies, which will lead to exciting opportunities for travel, collaboration, and multi-disciplinary working.
At Newcastle, our focus will be on a new class of membrane, the supported molten-salt membrane, as well as the broader class of facilitated-transport membranes. The unique characteristics of this class of membrane offers exciting new opportunities for carbon dioxide capture and storage, hydrogen production, and reaction engineering, which could lead to transformational developments in the energy and chemical industries.
Specifically, the project at Newcastle will involve the design and fabrication of supported molten-salt membranes (and other facilitated-transport membranes), the design and operation of membrane separation reactors, and advanced characterisation of membranes and gas permeation mechanisms occurring within them.
Number Of Awards
1
Start Date
18 September 2023
Award Duration
3 years
Sponsor
Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Newcastle University
Supervisors
Professor Ian S. Metcalfe, FREng, Royal Academy Chair in Emerging Technologies, School of Engineering, Newcastle University
Dr Greg A. Mutch, Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow, School of Engineering, Newcastle University
Eligibility Criteria
You should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree, or international equivalent, in Chemical Engineering or closely related discipline (e.g. Chemistry or Materials Science). You should be passionate about research and be able to use your initiative to drive your own project and contribute to the goals of the project.
Home and international applicants (inc. EU) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.
International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme.
How To Apply
You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal
Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.
Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:
· search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8030F
· Research Area: Chemical Engineering
· select ‘PhD Chemical Engineering (full time) - Chemical Engineering' as the programme of study
You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:
· a ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form
· the studentship code ENG099 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
· when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal.
· You should also email your covering letter and CV to Professor Ian Metcalfe to [Email Address Removed].
Contact Details
Professor Ian Metcalfe at [Email Address Removed]