Plasma processes for carbon-based active materials (two PhD scholarships)

Applications close

30 June 2024

You'll receive an annual stipend paid fortnightly, indexed annually to assist with your general living costs. In 2024, the annual stipend rate is $32,192 (AUD) at the full-time rate for up to 3.5 years.

• Domestic students will receive an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Fees Offset.
• International students will receive a Tuition Fee Sponsorship.

As the scholarship recipient, you will have the opportunity to work with a team of leading researchers, to undertake your own innovative research in and across the field.

You will need to:

• meet QUT’s admission criteria for our Doctor of Philosophy degree , which includes meeting QUT’s English language requirements at the time of application
• commit to full-time, internal study
• be able to commence in the degree as early as possible (or at a date agreed with the supervisor).

Ideally, you will:

• hold a master degree or honours degree in physics, chemistry or engineering with the focus on the research areas relevant to this project (ie. plasma, materials, applications, etc.)
• have a solid background (proven by refereed journal publications and honours/master degree thesis) in at least one of the following areas:
  • plasma discharges: fundamental science, design/setup, operation, diagnostics, applications in materials processing; or
  • advanced functional carbon-based materials: fundamental science, design, synthesis, characterization by advanced microscopy and microanalysis, applications; or
  • applications of carbon-based materials as active materials for catalysis, energy storage, green chemistry, or other relevant applications.

We are seeking to fill these two scholarship positions as quickly as possible, so please apply as soon as possible.

You can apply for this scholarship at the same time you apply for admission to a QUT Doctor of Philosophy degree.

The first step is to email Professor Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov detailing your academic and research background, your motivation to research in this field and interest in this scholarship, and include your CV.

If supported to apply, you will then submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) following the advice at how to apply for a research degree .

In your EOI, nominate Professor Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov as your proposed principal supervisor, and copy the link to this scholarship into question 2 of the financial details section.

Successful applicants will be contacted directly. We are seeking to commence this project as soon as possible.

This scholarship will be governed by the QUT Postgraduate Research Award (QUTPRA) conditions.

This PhD project will be part of the project “Plasma-assisted processes for active materials discovery, clean energy, and green chemistry” led by Professor Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov (School of Chemistry and Physics, Faculty of Science, QUT) and supported by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation (ARC CoE-CSI).

The ARC CoE-CSI is a major 7-year initiative supported primarily by the Australian Research Council (ARC). The Centre is led by UNSW and partnering with a group of eight Australian universities and a suite of outstanding national and international Partner Organisations. The Centre’s purpose is to revolutionise carbon science and innovation for renewable energy generation and clean chemical production by using carbon catalysts as alternatives to critical minerals.

The project will apply low-temperature plasmas and effective, energy-efficient, scalable plasma and thermal-based processes to enable high-value carbon-based catalysts, CO2 capture, and carbon electrode materials for clean energy storage. These efforts aim to help de-carbonize heavy-emissions industrial processes by plasma process electrification, and to convert waste carbons (biomass, CO2, plastics, etc.) to higher-value carbons (graphene, catalysts, etc.), clean fuels (e.g., hydrogen), and ultimately contribute to the development of zero- (and possibly negative-) carbon-emissions technologies and processes.

Depending on the specific need at the time of the PhD project commencement, your specific project will be customised to focus on exploring plasma-based solutions for one of the three key areas of the CoE-CSI:

• developing advanced carbon active materials,
• processes for clean energy, and
• green chemistry applications.