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In the Department of Materials, we have a range of exciting PhD opportunities available in our different research groups.

We have listed our available opportunities below.

Accordion

Impact of Catalyst Nanostructuring on Activity and Product Selectivity in Electrochemical CO₂ Conversion

This studentship is open to candidates eligible for Home fees only, as defined by UKRI guidelines. 

Campus: White City

Funding Details:

We invite applications for a fully funded PhD studentship in the Department of Materials at Imperial College London.

The successful candidate will join a dynamic and inclusive team committed to world-class research and academic excellence.

Project description:

This PhD project addresses the urgent need to mitigate rising CO2 levels by developing sustainable electrocatalysts, based on recycled materials, for electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO₂RR). This approach enables the conversion of CO2 into value-added fuels and chemicals using renewable electricity, offering a pathway toward carbon-neutral energy systems. The project focuses on understanding how nanoscale structure, composition, and heterogeneity influence catalytic activity and selectivity, particularly toward multi-carbon products. These challenges are significantly exacerbated when using recycled and repurposed materials as catalyst precursors, since their composition can vary significantly from high-purity virgin materials. This work will investigate the atomistic processes underlying catalyst evolution under reaction conditions, including phase transformations and the role of impurities. Advanced characterisation techniques, such as high-resolution electron microscopy and atom probe tomography (in collaboration with project partners at Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) France), will be combined with electrochemical testing, X-ray and surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy to establish robust structure–property relationships.

Applicants should have a Master’s degree or (equivalent) with First Class or Upper Second Class in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics or Chemistry. For information on how to apply, go to:  Application process | Study | Imperial College London.

You will be required to submit:

  • Personal statement
  • CV
  • The contact details of two referees – please note that the prospective supervisor cannot be a referee

Please get in touch with Dr Annalisa Neri for further information on the application process.

For further information or informal discussions about the position, please contact:
Reshma R Rao, Assistant Professor.

Closing date: open until filled

Our values are at the root of everything we do, and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate Imperial:

  • Respect
  • Collaboration
  • Excellence
  • Integrity
  • Innovation

Students are also required to comply with all Imperial policies and regulations

We are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment, sex, or sexual orientation. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages

New solid-state battery materials for electric automotive applications

Campus: South Kensington

Funding Details: 

  • Coverage: Home or overseas tuition fees, a stipend, and up to £1,000 per year for travel and consumables.
  • Duration: 42 months
  • Study mode: Full-time
  • Annual stipend: UKRI rate - £22,780 AY 2025/26

Supervisor(s): Ann Huang (Imperial College London)

Project Description: 

Next-generation batteries such as solid-state batteries (SSBs) have great potential to improve the safety and energy storage performance of current lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, slow ion diffusion in SSBs currently restricts their performance. This research will focus on two areas relevant to electric automotive applications: (i) development of new electrode and solid-state electrolyte materials for SSBs, and (ii) fabrication of electrodes into batteries using state-of-the-art processing, characterisation and performance testing facilities. The project aims to build a fundamental understanding in chemistry and materials science to produce SSBs with performance surpassing current LIBs, combining processing techniques, characterisation methods and modelling.

For application-related queries, please get in touch with Annalisa Neri.

If you have specific technical or scientific queries about this PhD, we encourage you to contact the lead supervisor, Ann Huang.