Lab Astrophysics and High Energy Densities

PhD project for October 2026

Supervised by
Prof. Simon Bland sn.bland@ic.ac.uk 

Are you passionate about developing novel research and keen to shape the future of energy transfer technologies in areas such as, laser interactions, plasma physics, RF technologies, materials science and engineering? We are recruiting a motivated PhD candidate to undertake an exciting project within the EPSRC Energy Transfer Technologies Doctoral Training Hub. As a student of the Hub, you will receive an enhanced stipend of £24,780 per year, plus additional funds of £7,000 a year for travel, conferences and research equipment. This project is supported by QinetiQ who will provide an industry mentor.

The studentship will focus on developing compact, reliable, high-energy density solid-state pulsed-power systems for high power RF generation. The project builds upon significant experience at Imperial College in spiral generator design and solid-state electronics[i]^,[ii]. Its objectives are:

1. to determine the optimal spiral generator parameters needed to match to high power RF antennae using experiments in combination with models for voltage wave propagation within the spiral coupled to a simple electromagnetic RF transmission model.
2. to develop high voltage systems capable of charging/controlling discharge of the spiral generator at frequencies >10 kHz – including frequency patterning.

• to explore the use of gas based and solid-state based pulse sharpeners on the output of the spirals to produce ns and sub-ns rise times.

The Hub

The Doctoral Hub specialises in developing research and training the next generation of leaders in energy transfer technologies for defence and related sectors. The successful candidate will be based at [university] and throughout their PhD will benefit from the support and expertise of our diverse academic community, a community of students working towards similar goals, as well as our specialist industrial network.

Why Join Us?

• Industrial Collaboration: Each PhD student within the Hub is partnered with an industry mentor, providing placement opportunities to work and train alongside industry experts
• Comprehensive Training: The Hub offers a blend of academic and industrial training, preparing you for diverse career pathways in research or industry
• Cohort Experience: Build your research network through inclusion in a vibrant cohort of PhD students that conduct research with academic leaders across leading UK institutions. Engage in online and face-to-face activities, including cohort-building events and collaborative learning exercises
• Funding: A generous fully funded studentship (no fees and a monthly personal payment) with additional support for conferences, travel, training, consumables and extended placement with industry collaborators.

Key Details

• Host Institution: Imperial College London
• Industry Partner: QinetiQ
• PhD Duration: 4 years
• Start Date: 1st October 2026
• Enhanced stipend of £24,780

The industrial partner, QinetiQ (https://www.qinetiq.com), is a major international defence company with a huge range of interests from power sources and energy distribution to AI and robotics.  The partner will provide PhD supervision, a placement and be part of the larger Hub community benefiting in the diverse academic and industrial network offered by the Hub.

Please check the hub website for further details: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/energy-transfer-skills-training-hub

Eligibility

PhD Candidates must hold a minimum of an upper Second-Class UK Honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant science or engineering discipline. Candidates must be UK Nationals and be willing to apply for and able to obtain Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance.

Before you apply

We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisor(s) for this PhD project before you apply.

How to apply

Please apply through the Imperial College ‘My Imperial’ portal found on our application page.

Application process | Study | Imperial College London

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The Hub is committed to improving diversity within the sector and as such we aim to  provide an inclusive environment in which all students can thrive. We particularly encourage applications from women, disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, and students from low-income/ non-typical backgrounds to apply.  We can also consider part time PhD students.  We encourage and support talented individuals from various STEM backgrounds with ambition and an interest in making a difference. 

Funding Notes

The generous funding package includes full tuition fees and an enhanced stipend of £24,780 per annum. Additional support is available for conference attendance, specialised training, travel to industrial partners, and extended placements with industry collaborators. This studentship is open to UK Nationals and is available for home students only.

Application closing date

31^st March 2026

Keywords

• Solid-state Pulsed Power
• High speed switching
• SOS/ DSRD pulse shortening
• High power RF / Microwave emission

[i] “Miniature solid-state switched spiral generator for the cost effective, programmable triggering of large scale pulsed power accelerators”, J. Yan et al, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevAccelBeams.24.030401

[ii] “An investigation into high-voltage spiral generators utilizing thyristor input switches”, J. Yan et al, https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2021.3063499

PhD project for October 2026
Supervised by Dr Brian Appelbe, b.appelbe07@ic.ac.uk  & Prof Jeremy Chittenden, j.chittenden@ic.ac.uk 

The astrophysical production sites which facilitate nucleosynthesis in nature are bodies of extreme density, temperature and pressure. Neutron induced reactions, in particular the slow and rapid neutron capture processes, are the main drivers of nucleosynthesis in stars, supernovae and neutron star mergers. The extreme temperature and density conditions cause significant populations of the nuclei undergoing neutron capture reactions to exist in nuclear excited states, often referred to as isomers. Reaction cross sections can vary substantially for different states of nuclear excitation, and so accurate prediction of nucleosynthesis rates requires accurate knowledge of excitation rates (isomer production) at a given temperature and density.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) carries out Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments in which plasmas are compressed to reach temperatures and densities similar to those found in the centre of stars (temperatures of ~10 keV, densities of ~10^4 kg m^-3). These experiments can provide an ideal platform for studying isomer production and neutron capture reactions in hot, dense plasmas. At these conditions the plasmas produce large amounts of fast neutrons and excite significant numbers of nuclei into isomeric states. However, accurate theoretical and computational models for the isomer production in these experiments do not exist. Developing such models will be essential for designing ICF experiments to address outstanding questions in nuclear astrophysics. This is a new field of research, made possible by recent experimental breakthroughs at the NIF, where the required plasma conditions and neutron fluxes can now be created in the laboratory. This PhD project seeks to use nuclear and plasma theory to develop a computational model of isomer production that will be coupled to computational models describing the hydrodynamic evolution of the plasma in ICF experiments, thereby providing accurate predictions for the rates of neutron capture on excited states occurring in hot plasmas. The project will involve collaboration with scientists at a number of institutions, including at the NIF. The project will be based within the Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies at Imperial College.

Funding - TBD

PhD project for October 2026

Supervised by
Prof. Sergey Lebedev, s.lebedev@ic.ac.uk Dr Lee Suttle, l.suttle10@ic.ac.uk Prof. Simon Bland sn.bland@ic.ac.uk 

High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) explores the behaviour of matter and radiation under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, and magnetic field—conditions comparable to those found in astrophysical environments and schemes for inertial confinement fusion (ICF). This PhD project will take place on Blackett Laboratory’s in-house 1-MA MAGPIE generator, which uses a 500-ns, 1-TW pulse of electrical energy to produce and accelerate plasma flows to supersonic velocities, whilst carrying dynamically significant magnetic fields. 

The scope of the project will be to isolate and investigate fundamental processes in the domain of magnetized, HEDP environments, such as magnetized transport, shock formation, reconnection, and plasma instabilities relevant to ICF, as they evolve into turbulence. These studies will rely on the use and continued development of MAGPIE’s world-leading suite of plasma diagnostics, using techniques such as Thomson-scattering, Faraday rotation imaging, Zeeman polarisation spectroscopy and refractometric imaging amongst others.