A 3 year PhD Industry funded studentship in "Sustainable High Performance Battery Materials and 3D Electrodes"

Project Title: Sustainable High Performance Battery Materials and 3D Electrodes

Supervisor: Prof Jawwad A. Darr

Interview date: interviews will be in June 2023

Start date: start of term i.e. End of Sept 2023

UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in October 2023.  The student will carry out his/her doctoral research at UCL.

Electric vehicles have the largest potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution. Today, 28% of total energy is used for transportation, and petroleum products account for 92% of the transportation sector energy use in the United States (Source: US Energy). A number of improvements can be made in today’s batteries to make them more sustainable. 

These include:

The UCL research host group developing technologies around the first two areas, whilst Addionics has developed 3D electrode designs that enables UCL made electroactive materials to perform with significant increases in energy and power density (expected improvement of up to 40%). This will lead to an improve the ranges or usage time for electric vehicles, drones, and consumer electronics /power tools. The technology also allows faster charging times, better heat dissipation and extended lifetime for batteries.

Overall, this technology means cleaner transport and less contribution to climate change than conventional vehicles. This research is co-funded via a UCL impact studentship with industrial sponsor Addionics that develops next-generation batteries via smart 3D electrode architectures. During the PhD, the successful candidate will have numerous opportunities to work closely with the company, by taking any leading UCL made battery materials and incorporating them into Addionic’s smart 3D electrodes to boost performance and lifetime.  Main duties and responsibilities include: To carry out experimental research to make and optimise battery active materials libraries and undertake analytical and electrochemical characterisation to find the optimum materials. To work closely with the project industrial partner Addionic’s (spending some time in the company as needed for this purpose), to produce 3D smart electrodes and test them at various scales.  To collaborate with a within a large research team. To travel and visit collaborators as necessary.

The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant scientific or engineering discipline (e.g. Materials, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Physics)

Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisor, Prof Jawwad A. Darr ([email protected] ), with a CV and a cover letter expressing your interest in the project. Please note that a suitable applicant will be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme.

In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/apply (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can.

All shortlisted applicants will be invited for the interview no more than 2 weeks after the application deadline. The interview process will be clarified nearer the time. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Jadranka Butorac at [email protected] .

Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU students with settled/pre-settled status and students with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees.

The updated rules for eligibility for home fees for next year are available at View Website . 

Applications will be accepted until 30 September 2023, if we do not appoint someone sooner.