Structural and Dynamic Studies of Reactions at the Solid-Liquid Interface

The Condensed Matter group within the Department of Physics and the Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy at the University of Liverpool seeks applications for a post-graduate studentship leading to a PhD, starting 1 October 2017 (or soon thereafter).

The successful candidate will work in the group of Professor Chris Lucas. The primary focus of the research is to understand the atomic structure and reactions at the electrochemical interface in systems relevant to electrochemical technologies (for example, low temperature hydrogen fuel cells, batteries and electroplating processes). The experimental work may include laboratory based characterisation by electrochemical methods, scanning probe microscopy and ultra high vacuum (UHV) techniques, including the design of new experimental set-ups. A main part of the research will involve the use of synchrotron radiation techniques to probe atomic and electronic structure. This will utilise the XMaS beamline (BM28) which is an EPSRC mid-range facility based at the ESRF (www.esrf.eu) in Grenoble, France (see www.xmas.ac.uk for more details). The XMaS beamline is operated by the Universities of Liverpool and Warwick and Prof Lucas is the Liverpool Director. Additional synchrotron experiments will take place at the Diamond Light Source (www.diamond.ac.uk) and the Advanced Photon Source in the US (www.aps.anl.gov).

The Condensed Matter Physics group and the Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy provide an internationally leading research and training environment for PhD students in the fields of Surface & Interface Science, Electrochemistry and Surface Processing. For more information on the group, see https://www.liv.ac.uk/condensed-matter-physics/ and http://www.liv.ac.uk/renewable-energy/.

Any prior background in condensed matter physics or physical chemistry (especially electrochemistry) would be an advantage. The project may involve the use of computer algebra or numerical methods for data analysis, so some programming skills and background in computer science would be helpful but not necessary. The successful candidate should have or expect to have at least a 2:1 degree or equivalent in Physics and/or Chemistry.

The studentship includes a commitment to work on teaching-related activities in modules currently taught in the Department of Physics, as assigned by the Head of Department or his representative.